Update Oct 30th 2023 Israel’s president says Shani Louk’s skull has been found, decapitated from her body.
The Israeli government confirmed on Monday, October 30, the murder of Shani Louk, a 22-year-old German-Israeli woman who was kidnapped by Hamas at the festival near the border with the Gaza Strip during the attack on Israeli territory. A few days ago, the German newspaper Bild had reported that she was still alive, but seriously injured and in critical condition, Palestinian sources told her mother, Ricarda Louk.
Naked Girl Paraded Around by Hamas Millitants in Gaza is a German National Named Shani Louk. Louk’s leg tattoo on Instagram, left, matches the leg tattoo of the naked “female Israeli soldier” Hamas militants paraded around Gaza in the bed of a truck on Saturday, 10.7.23.
When the first attacks by the terrorist group were unleashed, videos had gone viral in which Shani Louk could be identified at the time of her abduction. In those images, she could be seen unconscious, half-naked and bloodied in the back of one of the vans used by Hamas.
Shani Louk was a tattoo artist and influencer who had more than 45 thousand followers on her social networks. Through them, she was dedicated to show her trips with her friends and boyfriend, as well as her original looks.
She had both German and Israeli nationality. She obtained the former from her mother’s side. According to AFP, Rikarda was born in the European country, but immigrated to Israel some 30 years ago when she converted to Judaism. Meanwhile, the young woman’s father is Israeli and currently lives there, according to information from Agencia Télam.
What happened to Shani Louk?
The Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, was in charge of announcing the news of Shani Louk’s death. According to what the official informed to the newspaper Bild, her skull was found, so it is believed that she was decapitated after being kidnapped by Hamas followers. “This means that these barbaric and sadistic animals simply cut off her head while attacking, torturing and killing her. It is a great tragedy and I offer my deepest condolences to the family,” he added.
The Israeli president said that only now it was possible to identify Shani’s body and added that the identification of 40 other bodies is pending, as people were abused, burned or dismembered in the most gruesome way.
For her part, Louk’s mother also made public the death of her daughter after receiving confirmation from the Israeli army. “Unfortunately, we received the news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive,” she told German broadcaster RTL. Ricarda Louk described the confirmation of her daughter’s death as “terrible”, although she said it was positive to have the certainty of what happened: “At least she did not suffer,” said Louk, according to DPA.
However, she said she assumes that her daughter has been dead since October 7 – the same day she was kidnapped – as a result of a possible gunshot to the head during the attack. Meanwhile, the sister of the deceased said that the victim’s body has not yet been found, although there is DNA evidence from a skull bone.