Israel-Hamas war: Shani Louk, German woman whose naked body was paraded around Gaza found dead

The body of Shani Louk, a German-Israeli who was abducted by Hamas at the Nova music festival and paraded half-naked in a truck, has been found and identified.

Louk’s mother Ricarda announced her death on Monday, saying: “Unfortunately we got the news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive.”

Louk, who was a 22-year-old tattoo artist, was attending the festival near the Gaza border when Hamas militants attacked it on October 7, opening fire and sending partygoers fleeing through the desert.

On Monday, members of Louk’s family were quoted in Hebrew media as saying that they received a letter from the Israeli Zaka rescue service, which said a bone from the base of her skull, without which a person cannot survive, had been recovered and identified.

Louk’s sister, Adi Louk, also shared the news of her death, saying: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of my sister.”

In a statement, the Israeli foreign ministry said: “We are devastated to share that the body of German-Israeli Shani Louk was found and identified. Our thoughts and prayers are with Shani’s friends and family during this unimaginable nightmare.”

There has been no official confirmation from the German foreign ministry.

Hamas terrorists killed at least 1400 people during their assault on Israeli communities near the Gaza border, and took at least 229 hostage.

In video footage that emerged after the attack, Louk was seen lying seemingly unconscious, face down in the back of a pick-up truck in Gaza that was full of jeering Hamas militants.

“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,” her mother said at the time.

She had been informed in mid-October that her daughter was alive but had a “severe head injury” and was in a “critical condition” in a hospital in Gaza.