Shani Louk, German-Israeli woman paraded naked by Hamas, is dead. Who was she?

The German woman paraded naked by Hamas has died. Shani Louk was captured by Hamas fighters who stormed a music festival on 7 October during the worst attack in Israeli history. Her death was confirmed by Israel’s foreign ministry. “Our hearts are broken,” the ministry wrote on X. “Shani, who was kidnapped from a music festival and tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas terrorists, experienced unfathomable horrors,” it said. “May her memory be a blessing.” But who was she? And what happened to her? Let’s take a closer look: Who was she? Louk was a 23-year-old German-Israeli woman. Her Instagram describes her as a tattoo artist and hair stylist.

As per Hindustan Times, Louk was a citizen of both Germany and Israel.

While she never lived in the country, she often visited and stayed with her kin. Louk’s mother Ricarda, who hails from southern Germany, moved to Israel after converting to Judiasm. As per Washington Post, Louk’s father is Polish. Louk’s grandparents are in the southern German city of Ravensburg, as per the report. _Daily Mai_l quoted Louk’s aunt Orly as saying that she refused mandatory military service because of her pacifist views. She added that Louk’s German citizenship helped with this. What happened to her? Louk had been missing since Hamas fighters stormed the Supernova rave near the Gaza border as they carried out the worst attack in Israel’s history. Around 270 festivalgoers were killed. Shortly after the attack, images began circulating online of a young woman lying face down and nearly naked in the back of a pick-up truck in Gaza filled with armed men. As per Business Insider, the woman was in her underwear and her legs were at ‘unnatural angles’, while a soldier had grabbed her hair. The militants were also spitting on the woman.

Louk’s family said they recognised Shani in the footage because of her dreadlocks and distinctive tattoos.

Louk’s cousin told Mail Online, “We have heard nothing. We are hoping for positive news. She was at a music festival for peace. This is a nightmare for our family." Ricards, meanwhile, had issued a plea for help through the German newspaper Bild. “This morning my daughter, Shani Nicole Louk, a German citizen, was kidnapped with a group of tourists in southern Israel by Palestinian Hamas. 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. I ask you to send us any help or any news. Thank you very much." The family initially held out hope she had been badly injured and was receiving hospital treatment in Gaza. After the video, you saw that, it’s impossible to see if she’s alive or dead. It was very scary, and we were very worried,” Louk’s mother told CNN days after the attack. Ricarda also slammed authorities on 10 October. She told Bild, “We now have evidence that Shani is alive but has a serious head injury and is in critical condition. Every minute is critical.” “You have to act quickly and get Shani out of the Gaza Strip! We shouldn’t argue about questions of jurisdiction now!” Daily Mail quoted Orly and her husband Wilfried Gehr begging the German government to help. “We’ve been begging the German government to help for three days now. We are unsettled and totally disappointed that the Federal Government does not feel responsible. One from the Foreign Office said he doesn’t have time because they have to rebook flights. That makes me so angry.’ Jerusalem Post reported that Louk’s family said they received hints that her credit card was used in Gaza. Then, on Monday, the family’s hopes came to an end. Ricarda told German media they had been informed of Shani’s death by the Israeli military. Ricarda, who moved to Israel three decades ago, told the RTL/NTV broadcasters her daughter had been identified through DNA analysis of a skull bone. She said she now believed her daughter was killed on the day of the attack.

Ricarda told RTL that she skull fragment showed Louk was killed by a bullet to the head.

No official information was given about the circumstances of Louk’s death. Israeli president Isaac Herzog confirmed to Germany’s Bild that Louk’s “skull has been found”. “I am truly sorry to report that we have now received news that Shani Nicole Louk has been confirmed murdered and dead. Her skull was found,” Herzog added. “This means that these barbaric, sadistic animals simply chopped off her head as they attacked, tortured and killed Israelis. It is a great tragedy and I extend my deepest condolences to her family,” the president said, adding that “about 40 bodies have not yet been identified.” “What we saw on the Gaza-Israel border goes far beyond a pogrom. We saw a slaughterhouse. We saw the blood flowing in the streets. We have seen the most horrific tragedies imaginable,” Herzog concluded. Louk’s sister Adi spoke of her “great sorrow” as she shared the news of Shani’s death on Instagram. “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 on October 7, 2023, at the party massacre in Re’im,” Adi wrote. Louk’s boyfriend, Orión Hernández Radoux, a Mexican national is also believed to have been captured by terrorists during the attack. In the October 7 attacks, Hamas militants killed more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities. Another 239 people were taken hostage. In retaliation, Israel began a relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Since then, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip says more than 8,300 Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians and among them almost 3,500 children. With inputs from agencies