“We are devastated to share that the body of German-Israeli Shani Louk has been found and identified.” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on social media
In turn, the family of the young German-Israeli woman confirmed that the 22-year-old woman died, after weeks of uncertainty about her condition following images of her being transported unconscious in a vehicle following attacks by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) against Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,400 people.
“Unfortunately, we received the news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive,” said Louk’s mother, Ricarda Louk, in an interview with German broadcaster RTL. German and Israeli authorities have not commented at this time, although they have indicated that the information was shared with them by the Israeli military.
For example, the woman said that her daughter’s body had not yet been found, although she explained that it had. A fragment of a skull bone was found and a DNA sample was also taken from her, German news agency DPA reported.
The young woman was accompanied by her boyfriend, Mexican Órion Hernández, who is being held hostage by the Islamist group, the Mexican government confirmed.
The mother believes her daughter has been dead since October 7 from a possible shot to the head during the attack.
The family believes Shani was killed by Hamas during a music festival in Israel’s Negev Desert. According to the report, photos and videos showing the young woman’s body in a van circulated online, although the family expected her to have been seriously injured and forcibly transported to the Gaza Strip.
In this sense, Ricarda Louk described the confirmation of her daughter’s death as “terrible”. although he thought it was positive to be sure of what was happening. “In any case, she did not suffer from it,” Louk emphasizes, according to the AP.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari announced on Monday that authorities had already confirmed this. 239 people are trapped in the Gaza Strip after attacks by Hamas, which recently found that about 50 of the hostages were killed as a result of the intense bombardment of the enclave by Israeli forces.
Authorities in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip denounced this situation: the deaths of more than 8,000 Palestinians in bomb attacks on the enclave. In addition, according to the Palestinian Authority, more than a hundred Palestinians have been killed in Israeli security forces operations and settler attacks in the West Bank.
The German Public Prosecution Service has opened an investigation into Hamas’ alleged murder, manslaughter and kidnapping of its citizens in connection with its attacks, a measure taken at the request of the families of Germans affected.
The victims also included Carolin Bohl, 22, killed in the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Gaza border.
(With information from Europa Press, EFE and Aristegui Noticias)
Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
