A German-born Israeli woman, Shani Louk, who was taken captive by Hamas militants and paraded through the streets after the October 7 attacks, was tragically found deceased, as confirmed by the Israeli government on October 30. Shani Louk, aged 23, was abducted from the Supernova music festival in southern Israel, close to the Gaza border, where Hamas launched a multi-pronged assault.
The mother of the victim, Ricarda Louk, disclosed to German media that she received the devastating news of her daughter Shani’s demise from the Israeli military. This notification came after the military obtained a DNA sample from a fragment of a skull bone, though Shani’s body remains unaccounted for. Notably, the reports do not provide clarity on the specific circumstances surrounding the discovery of this skull fragment.
Subsequently, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, in an interview with the German newspaper Bild, declared that Shani had, in fact, been “beheaded” by the terrorists. This grim revelation adds a distressing dimension to the already tragic incident.
“I am truly sorry to report that we have now received news that Shani Nicole Louk has been confirmed murdered and dead,” Herzog was quoted as saying. “Her skull was found. This means that these barbaric, sadistic animals simply chopped off her head as they attacked, tortured and killed Israelis,” he added. Hamas horrors Shani’s sister Adi later took to the social media platform Instagram to share the news of her sister’s death. “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of my sister,” she said. German newspaper Bild reported that Israeli President Isaac Herzog had also confirmed Louk’s death.
More than 260 people were killed at the festival when gunmen opened fire, sending terrified partygoers to run for cover through the desert. Hours after the attack, several clips began appearing on social media, showing the body of a young woman being paraded through the streets in the back of a truck, which was surrounded by armed fighters, while others yelled “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest). Even though the woman was lying face down, Louk’s family were able to identify her from her dreadlocks and distinctive tattoos.
“We were sent a video in which I could clearly see our daughter unconscious in the car with the Palestinians and them driving around the Gaza Strip,” Ricarda Louk said in an appeal for information posted online.
On Monday, while speaking to the German TV news channel RTL/ntv, Ricarda said she now assumed her daughter had been dead since 7 October and may have been shot in the head during the Hamas attack. “At least she [Shani] didn’t suffer,” she said, adding that it was good to have certainty.
Hamas captured Shani while she was attempting to escape, subsequently taking her into Gaza and subjecting her to assault, as reported by a German news source.
