Tel Aviv: The dead body of the Israeli-German citizen Shani Louk, has been found by the Israeli forces in Gaza on Monday. She was kidnapped and paraded semi-naked in Gaza during the attack by Hamas militants in Israel on October 7. Louk was abducted during Hamas's assault on the Nova music festival that was conducted in Reim. Shani Louk's family and the Israeli Government have confirmed the reports of her death.
"Unfortunately, we received the news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive," Shani Louk's mother Ricarda Louk said.
Shani's body found in Gaza during Israel's ground expedition
There are reports that the dead body of Shani Louk was recovered by the Israeli troops from Gaza during their ground expedition. Israel Government informed the family members of the deceased woman that they have retrieved her dead body from Gaza. Shani Louk's sister Adi Louk took to her Instagram account and informed about the death of her sister Shani Louk.
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"It is with great sadness that we announce the death of my sister, Shani Nicole Z.L. [may her memory be a blessing], who was on October 7, 2023, at the party massacre in Re'im," Adi Louk said.
Shani Louk's sister Adi Louk shares post on her Instagram account | Instagram
Earlier, Shani Louk's mother Ricarda Louk had appealed the German and Israeli Governments to get her daughter back after the video of Shani Louk being taken hostage by the Hamas militants went viral on social media. It was seen in the video that Shani Louk was paraded semi-naked in an open truck by the Hamas-Palestinian militants and the other people were seen spitting at her in Gaza.
Israeli govt confirms Shani's death
Israel Government on social media said, "We are devastated to share that the body of 23 year old German-Israeli Shani Luk was found and identified. Shani who was kidnapped from a music festival and tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas terrorists, experienced unfathomable horrors. Our hearts are broken. May her memory be a blessing."
Shani Louk had gone missing after Hamas' October 7 attack
Shani Louk disappeared while attending the Supernova music festival in southern Israel, where an attack by Hamas took place on October 7. Following the attacks, images and videos circulated online, depicting a young woman, believed to be Shani Louk, lying face down in a pick-up truck driven by Hamas. It was unclear from the footage whether she was alive or not.
During that time, her family reported that they had information suggesting she had been critically injured but was receiving medical treatment in a hospital in the Gaza Strip.
Shani Louk held both German and Israeli citizenship. According to media reports, although she hadn't lived in Germany, she regularly visited the country to stay with relatives. Her mother, Ricarda, originally from southern Germany, had moved to Israel after converting from Catholicism to Judaism, and her grandparents resided in the southern German city of Ravensburg.
