The mother of Shani Louk, an Israeli-German woman who was believed to have been kidnapped by Hamas gunmen at a music festival in Israel, has confirmed that her daughter is dead. Ricarda Louk revealed that the Israeli military informed her that a DNA sample taken from part of a skull bone matched Shani’s. Although her body has not been found yet, her sister, Adi Louk, also confirmed Shani’s death on social media.
Adi Louk shared on Instagram that Shani had been killed in the “massacre at Re’im,” referring to the attack staged by Hamas in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip on October 7. However, the reports do not provide information about the exact location or date when the fragment of Shani’s skull was found. Israel’s foreign ministry expressed devastation in a statement, formally shared on X, formerly Twitter.
Shani, 22 years old, was attending the festival near Kibbutz Re’im when gunmen opened fire, causing panic among the attendees who fled through the desert. According to the Israeli authorities, over 260 people were killed, with others being taken hostage. Shortly after the attack, a video circulated on social media showing the body of a young woman being paraded through the streets in the back of a truck, surrounded by armed fighters shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest). Shani’s family later identified her from her dreadlocks and distinctive tattoos.
Initially, there was speculation regarding Shani’s fate, but her mother remained hopeful that she was alive. Ricarda Louk stated that they received a video showing Shani unconscious in a car with Palestinians driving around the Gaza Strip. In an online appeal for information, she shared her belief that her daughter was still alive. However, in an interview with the German TV news channel RTL/ntv, Ricarda Louk now assumes that her daughter was shot in the head during the Hamas attack and has likely been dead since October 7.
Ricarda Louk expressed some relief, mentioning that at least Shani did not suffer and that having certainty is comforting. The identification process of the victims has been challenging due to the poor condition of some bodies, leading to delays. The Israeli authorities reported that more than 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attacks, while over 220 are thought to have been taken hostage, with only four people released thus far. In response, Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims that over 8,000 people have been killed since Israel’s retaliatory bombing began.
As the investigation and identification process continues, the case of Shani Louk’s death serves as a tragic reminder of the devastating impact of the attack on innocent lives.
