Gazans kidnapped IDF tank crew, including American hostage, new video shows - N12 report

A video showing the kidnapping of an IDF Armored Corps crew was obtained and released by N12.

The tank crew had four members, including tank commander Omer Neutra from Long Island, and tank gunner Nimrod Cohen from Rehovot, who are currently in Hamas captivity, as well as tank loader Oz Daniel from Kfar Saba, and driver Shaked Dahan from Afula, who the IDF has confirmed as killed in Hamas captivity.

Merav Daniel, mother of the late Oz, whose body remains in Gaza, spoke of recognizing her son, and her husband, Amir, said, “I recognized my son, even if the image was blurry – you can’t mistake your own child.”

Yehuda Cohen, Nimrod’s father, spoke of trying to reach out to his son on WhatsApp but to no avail. “I sent a WhatsApp message, but of course, there was no response,” he said. Nimrod is now held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.

The soldiers from 77th Battalion were stationed at the Gaza border at an outpost located between Kibbutz Nir Oz and Kibbutz Nirim. When alerts were activated early on October 7, the soldiers were already awake and ready to operate, with one tank driving north and the tank manned by Neutra, Cohen, Daniel, and Dahan heading south.

סרטון החטיפה מהטנק שהפך לסמל המחדל: הוריהם של הלוחמים שנחטפו מהטנק הבוער חושפים את הסרטון - ומדברים על המחדל, הצורך המיידי בעסקה והתמונות שהופכות האת הבטן ומלוות אותם מאז אותו בוקר נורא@michalpeylan pic.twitter.com/cgTGMwScIC

— החדשות - N12 (@N12News) August 13, 2024

According to N12, which released the video on Tuesday, it was not until 20 minutes later that the commander of the northern tank reported to the southern tank that they had been hit. Neutra replied that the tank was turning around and heading towards the kibbutzim, but then their tank slowed down.

At that point, an RPG reportedly hit the tank and caught on fire. They exited the tanks.

“They were on the fence, and apparently, they also took an RPG hit that seriously damaged the tank. At the same time, two explosives were placed on the tank, one in the front and one behind,” Amir Daniel told N12.

As the crew started to assist the other tank, their own tank began to lurch. This allowed the terrorists to attach a bomb to the tank, disabling it. “The tank started to catch fire, and apparently, the fire emergency system kicked in, so they had to either evacuate or risk suffocation inside the tank,” added Amir. “They ultimately decided to open the doors and get out.”

“The crew couldn’t operate effectively during the attack because the equipment provided by the army wasn’t functioning properly. They were trying to save a few pennies on engine hours,” Cohen said.

Now, 10 months later, the parents were ready to reveal the full video of their son’s abduction to N12, showing how, just before suffocating inside the burning tank, they opened the hatches and were forcibly dragged away by Hamas terrorists.

Oz’s mother told N12 that “today, in retrospect, we know that already half an hour after the kidnapping, Oz was no longer alive.”