Shani Louk,
The mother of German citizen Shani Louk, who was thought to be held captive by Hamas, claims to have learned of her daughter’s passing via the Israeli military.
“Unfortunately, we received the news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive,” said Ricarda Louk. “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 killed on October 7, 2023, at the party massacre in Re’im,” her sister Adi wrote in an Instagram post confirming Shani Louk’s passing.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced on the social media site X (previously Twitter) that Shani Louk’s body had been “found and identified.”
The German Foreign Ministry has not yet provided an official confirmation.
Shani Louk vanished on October 7th
Shani Louk vanished on October 7 while visiting the Supernova music festival in southern Israel, the scene of a Hamas attack. Following the assaults, images and videos appeared on the internet that appeared to show a young woman, identified as Shani Louk, face down inside a pickup truck that Hamas was driving. The video did not make it obvious if she was still alive.
Her relatives said at the time that they knew she had suffered serious injuries and was being treated in a Gaza Strip hospital.
Israeli and German citizenship were held by Shani Louk. She had never resided in Germany, but she frequently traveled there to visit family, according to media sources. While her ancestors are located in the southern German city of Ravensburg, it was believed that her mother, Ricarda, who has origins in southern Germany, emigrated to Israel after converting from Catholicism to Judaism.
