German-Israeli Shani Louk is confirmed dead, 3 weeks after Hamas captured her and paraded her through Gaza in her underwear
The remains of German-Israeli woman Shani Louk have been found in Gaza, Israel said.
A video showed her semi-naked body on the back of a truck surrounded by Hamas militants.
"We got the news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive," her mother told RTL.
The remains of German-Israeli woman Shani Louk, whose semi-naked body was paraded through the streets of Gaza by Hamas militants, have been recovered by Israeli forces.
"We are devastated to share that the body of 23-year-old German-Israeli Shani Luk was found and identified," Israel's foreign ministry said on X.
"Shani who was kidnapped from a music festivaland tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas terrorists, experienced unfathomable horrors. Our hearts are broken. May her memory be a blessing."
Louk had been attending the festival near the Gaza border when Hamas militants attacked the area on October 7, killing more than 260 festivalgoers.
A video of a young woman with dreadlocks on the back of a pickup truck and surrounded by Hamas gunmen started circulating on social media shortly after the attack.
In it, the woman appeared to be stripped to her underwear, and her legs were bent at unnatural angles while one soldier grabbed her hair. People were also seen spitting on her body.
Her face wasn't visible, but her dreadlocks and tattoos helped her family identify her as Louk, The Washington Post reported.
Speaking to German broadcaster RTL, Louk's mother, Ricarda, said she had been told that her daughter's remains had been found by the Israel Defense Forces.
"Unfortunately we received news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive," she said.
A picture of Shani Nicole Louk is displayed during a demonstration by family members and supporters of hostages who are being held in Gaza after they were kidnapped from Israel by Hamas gunmen.
A picture of Shani Nicole Louk is displayed during a demonstration by family members and supporters of hostages who are being held in Gaza after they were kidnapped from Israel by Hamas gunmen.
Louk's sister, Adi, announced the death in a post on Instagram.
"It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of my sister Shani Nicole Loul, may her soul rest in peace," said the post.
Ricarda told RTL that a piece of skull had been found that matched Shani Louk's DNA.
Her mother told Bild that her daughter had called her during the terrorist attack, and said she was looking for ways to flee with her boyfriend and others. She told her to seek refuge at a local shelter but then heard gunfire ring out on the other end of the phone, she told the outlet.
Three days after the terrorist attacks, Louk's mother told Bild that Palestinian sources told her that her daughter was alive in a Hamas hospital, but suffered a "severe head injury."
"We now have reasons to believe that Shani is alive but has had a severe head injury and is in critical condition. Every minute is critical," Louk told Bild at the time.
In the RTL interview, Ricarda Louk said that the skull fragment indicated she had likely been killed on October 7 with a bullet to the head.