Father of US Hamas hostage warns Israeli-Gaza conflict has hit 'critical times' as he pleads for more nations to support Biden's ceasefire plans

The father of a US hostage kidnapped by Hamas has warned the Israeli-Gaza conflict has hit 'critical times' and begs for nations to rally behind President Biden's new ceasefire plans - as Muslim leaders call the battle for Israel as 'illegal and immoral.'

Religious leaders in New York have vowed to join forces to support the families of those taken hostage as part of the ongoing war as President Biden unveiled a ceasefire plan on Friday.

Speaking at a conference set up by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and crisis comms guru Matthew Hiltzik, family members of hostages on both sides of the war shared their stories and begged for the bloodshed to end.

Ronen Neutra, whose son Omer was taken by Hamas from Israel on October 7, praised Biden's new deal which seeks to end the current conflict.

Speaking at the UJA Federation in Manhattan, he said: 'We are in critical times. There is a deal that President Biden gave the details of on Friday. 

Omer was serving as a tank commander near the Gaza border when he was captured by Hamas

At a conference, Omer's father Ronen Neutra warned the Israeli-Gaza conflict has reached 'critical times'

'And we're really what we call on money time, where pressure must be put on all parties, the mediators among them course United States, Egypt, Qatar, possibly Turkey.

'Of course, on Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement. The families learned today about few more members of kibbutz that are no longer with us and that terrible news shocked the hostage families.

'It's time to bring this suffering to an end, it's time to work a deal that will bring our children our fathers our sisters our mothers back.

'We urge everybody to do everything they can to press in all directions to bring to bring this to fruition. We need them back. It's urgent.'

Neutra made his plea to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has rejected President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal.

Unveiling the plan on Friday, President Biden said: 'I know there are those in Israel who will not agree with this plan and will call for the war to continue indefinitely. Some are even in the government coalition.'

Det Mohamed Amen, Orna Neutra, Ronan Neutra, Rabbi Joel Levenson, Rabbi Marc Schneier, Sheikh Musa Drammeh, Leat Corinne Unger and Aviva Siegel attend a conference set up by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and crisis comms guru Matthew Hiltzik

The new three-phase deal Biden is backing would see a six-week ceasefire while the two sides negotiate a permanent end to the fighting.

If the talks take longer, the ceasefire will continue for as long as it takes to strike a deal.

'Hamas no longer is capable of carrying out another October 7th,' Biden said in remarks in the East Room of the White House, urging the terrorist group to 'take the deal.'

The second phase would involve Hamas handing over all remaining hostages and Israel withdrawing all forces from Gaza.

Biden said the third and final stage would see 'a major reconstruction plan' for civilian areas in Gaza.

Families of hostages have urged the Netanyahu government to accept the deal, after the Israel Defence Forces told families of four hostages in Gaza that they were 'no longer alive.'

In a statement the IDF said that they told relatives of Nadav Popplewell, 51, Yoram Metzger, 80, Amiram Cooper, 84, and Chaim Peri, 79, 'who were brutally abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7, that they are no longer alive and that their bodies are held by the Hamas terrorist organization.'

Officials from the IDF said the decision to announce their deaths was based on intelligence and was confirmed by a Ministry of Health expert committee, in coordination with the Ministry of Religious Services and the Chief Rabbi of Israel.

 Protesters, including members of Omer's family, hold placards taking part in a 'United we Bring Them Home' march on June 2

Omer seen with his parents and younger brother at a basketball game 

It is currently unclear how the four hostages were killed, with the IDF adding that their bodies are still being held by Hamas after dying several months ago in the Khan Younis area.

Omer's mother, Orna, said during a press conference on Monday that her son had grown up on Long Island before travelling to Israel on a gap year and joining the IDF.

'He felt that he wanted to serve in the Israeli army and to do his share in protecting the country', she said.

'On October 7, he was a first responder to the border. And his team and his 10 were attacked and his teammates were taken. Two of them were murdered on the day their bodies were taken into Gaza.

'He and another team member are believed to be held by Hamas to the state. We hope that they're still alive.

'We have not received any sign of life since he was taken. We feel that the world has become dominated by extreme, and we really need to hear more of the moderate voices on all sides.

'The silent moderation needs to speak up a lot louder.'

Authorities across the US have seen hate crimes against both Jews and Muslims because of the ongoing conflict, with leaders in New York now joining forces in a bid to bring all hostages home – urging that peace is the only way forwards.

Orna and Ronen Neutra (pictured) speak to Anderson Cooper in the wake of  his capture

Sheikh Musa Drammeh, Chairman of the Islamic Cultural Center, told the conference that now is the time to speak out.

'Hearing from the loved ones of these hostages continues to break our heart,' he said. 'We vowed to do what was necessary in making sure that all the hostages were released.

'After October 7 we knew that as Muslims, Muslim New Yorkers, we must speak out. We must speak up, we must be bold and we must be public.

'No one no one should be subjected to this. This is the moment we tell the truth. This is the moment we sacrifice.

'This is the moment the Muslim community in New York embrace the Jewish community - and to say that no matter what happened, we will never ever abandon you.

'We will never ever normalize what happened. We will never ever side with criminals. We will do everything we can to making sure that the hostages are released, and Israel will continue to thrive, and Israel will continue to be safe home for Israelis.'

Omer's mom Orna seen speaking at the March for Israel on November 14 last year 

Sheikh Drammeh went on to say that for Muslims to 'continue to challenge' Israel as a Jewish nation is 'illegal, immoral, and should never be tolerated'.

He was joined by NYPD Detective Mohamed Amen, Deputy Director of Muslim American Leadership Alliance Danyal Khan, Rabbi Menachem Creditor, Rabbi March Schneier, Rabbi Joel Levenson and Father Ryan Muldoon.

The group spoke of their support for the hostages, asking for prayers to help those who were still being held captive.

Hamas hostage survivor Aviva Siegel, 63, told the event how she had to 'beg for water' from people who would 'pray to Allah and then want to kill us.'

Her husband Keith, 65, is currently being held captive by Hamas after his wife was freed after 51 days as a hostage.

'I know what they're going through. And I know where they are. They starve us. And they didn't give us food while they ate in front of us. We had to beg them for water.

'We were taken down 14 meters underneath the ground. And we thought we're going to die because we did not have any oxygen. We were just lying on the floor trying to breathe and I knew and felt that one more day. I'm going to die.'

Ronen, Omer's dad, praised Biden's new deal which seeks to end the current conflict

She added that two babies from her hometown were left without their parents, after the October 7 attack which killed 63 people that Siegel knew.

'There was a child that was eight and the system seven hid themselves in a cupboard while the mother was in front of them dead', she said.

'There was a family of five that hacked each other and was shocked people were burnt alive. And they were they were the terrorists that did that on the seventh.

'I asked myself what kind of world this is. And I want to ask everybody if that's the world we deserve. I want a good life for the people of Gaza, I am going to stay a good human being.'

Leat Corinne Unger spoke about her cousin Shem Tov Omer, who was kidnapped at the Nova festival on October 7.

She believes that it 'doesn't matter what faith' you belong to because 'faith is the thing that keeps us strong'.

'No matter what faith you believe in, it should cross all boundaries', Leat added. 'And that's the faith that we should be fighting for.'

Omer's father said that they spoke to their son before the attack and he sounded good, but a little tired. Within hours, they saw on a news app that their was something happening on the Southern portion of Israel. They immediately called him but could not get through

Omer took a gap year off of college, deferring his acceptance to Binghamton University, so he could join the Israeli army and follow in the footsteps of his parents

Of some 130 Israeli hostages remaining in the Gaza strip, about 85 are believed to still be alive, PBS reported.

The United Nations has warned the people of Gaza face famine. They've also seen the mass destruction of their homes, hospitals and infrastructure.

Israel's recent invasion of Gaza has cut off the flow of food, medicine and other supplies needed by the Palestinians.

They have also seized the entire border between Gaza and Egypt, where the humanitarian aid was coming through.

Israel argues Hamas terrorists hide among the general population, making the destruction necessary.

Israel's campaign in the nearly eight-month war has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 80,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Earlier peace talks were stymied by a central sticking point: A demand from Hamas for guarantees that the war will end and Israeli troops will withdraw from Gaza completely in return for a release of all the hostages.