Israel-Hamas war: Hamas terrorist who paraded Shani Louk’s body in Gaza has been killed, says her mother

A Hamas terrorist who paraded a German festival-goer’s body through Gaza has been killed, the victim’s mother has said, as she called for a hostage deal to free those still being held by the terror group.

Shani Louk, a 22-year-old Israeli-German dual citizen, was murdered by Hamas at the Nova music festival in southern Israel on October 7.

Louk’s mother, Ricarda, 53, said that one of the men who later took her daughter’s body through Gaza in the back of a pickup truck had been killed by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).

She did not say how she knew that the man was dead, or give any details on how or when she believed he was killed.

It was not clear which of the four men pictured with Louk’s body her mother was referring to.

“It didn’t mean too much to me – there are so many bad people that did those horrible things, and it’s just one less,” Louk said.

She added: “You’re happy that this person cannot hurt anyone else, but it didn’t matter so much because it’s a whole bunch of people.

“It’s not like a typical murder story where you find the murderer and they got killed – they did those things as a group, so one doesn’t make so much difference to me.”

For weeks, Louk’s family had been led to believe the tattoo artist, identified by her distinctive body art and dreadlocked hair, was alive but in hospital in Gaza.

But Israeli officials later revealed she was killed in the Hamas attack after a fragment of her skull was found and identified.

‘Happy, lively person’

“She was a very happy, lively person,” her mother said in an interview with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, broadcast on Facebook.

“She liked music and dancing and living, and she was really enjoying it until the last moment.”

Louk also urged Israel to negotiate an agreement with Hamas, in which about 240 hostages held by the group in the Gaza Strip would be freed in exchange for the release of 4450 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.

‘Give them all the prisoners’

“To keep those hostages alive is more important than having those prisoners here, from my perspective,” she said. “Give them all the prisoners as long as they can save some of our lives.”

Relatives of those held captive by the group have appealed to Israel’s government to agree to the so-called “all-for-all” exchange.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israel prime minister, has been criticised by some families for not doing more to secure the hostages’ release as the Israeli military pushes deep into Gaza with an order to destroy Hamas.

Hamas said on Monday it was ready to release up to 70 women and children hostages in return for a five-day truce and the release of 275 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons.

Netanyahu has so far rejected any talk of a ceasefire, saying he would only be willing to pause the fighting if all the hostages were freed.