The young Israeli-German woman, widely recognized globally in connection with the Hamas attack and widespread kidnapping on October 7, tragically lost her life during the incident, as confirmed by her family.
22-year-old Shani Louk was initially thought to have been abducted during Hamas’s attack on the Re’im music festival. She was paraded half-naked state through Gaza, seemingly unconscious in a truck bed.
However, on Monday, her sister Adi revealed that Shani had tragically passed away during the incident, a conclusion drawn after finding remains that indicated fatal injuries.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of my sister, Shani Nicole Z.L. , who was on October 7, 2023, at the party massacre in Re’im,” Adi wrote on Instagram.
The Israeli foreign ministry, on the social media platform X (previously known as Twitter), remarked about the unimaginable trauma Louk had undergone.
Footage from the day of the attack showed Louk lying still in the back of a vehicle, having been captured and taken to Gaza.
Ricarda, Louk’s mother, initially held hope that her daughter was still alive in a Gaza hospital. However, she later relayed to German TV that Shani was deceased.
German and Israeli media sources reported that a relative of Louk mentioned the family was informed by the Israel Defence Forces and the emergency response group Zaka.
They stated that a bone fragment from Louk’s skull was located and its DNA was confirmed to match Louk’s.
Medical professionals concluded that the discovered bone was vital for life, hence, it was impossible for Louk to be alive. The Israeli National Institute of Forensic Medicine confirmed this.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented on Monday, denouncing Hamas’s savagery and stressing the necessity to hold the militant group responsible. During an official tour in Africa, Scholz expressed his distress, condemning Hamas’s brutality.
Louk was present at the Supernova music festival near Re’im when the violent attack by Hamas occurred. Footage of Louk, a professional tattoo artist, from before the tragic event showcased her enjoying the festival with friends.
Ricarda shared with Germany’s Bild newspaper a harrowing account of her last conversation with her daughter during the festival, which was interrupted by the chaos of gunfire.
Disturbing footage surfaced hours later, depicting a woman’s body on a white truck accompanied by armed men, en route to Gaza. The family immediately recognized her.
A report from Germany’s Der Spiegel mentioned that a close relative of Louk received information that she was alive and recuperating from injuries at a Gaza hospital.
The assault on the morning of October 7th led to a catastrophic loss of at least 260 lives in and around the festival site.
This event marked one of the most devastating attacks on Israel in years, with survivors enduring hours of terror before security assistance arrived.
