Mother of German Woman Abducted by Hamas Says Her Daughter Is Dead
The mother of German citizen Shani Louk, whom Hamas took prisoner, has said she has received information from the Israeli military on her daughter's death.
"Sadly, we got the news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive," RTL/ntv quotes Shani Louk's mother.
The prisoner's sister, Adi, also confirmed Shani's death in an Instagram post.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the death of my sister Shani... who was killed on 7 October 2023 during the massacre in Re'im," she said.
Shani's body has not yet been found, said Ricarda Louk. However, a part of her skull bone was found, and a DNA sample was taken. The mother assumes that her daughter has been dead since 7 October, possibly shot in the head during the attack.
There was no official confirmation of Shani Louk's death from the German Foreign Ministry.
The family said Shani Louk, 22, was killed during a music festival in the Israeli Negev desert. Photos and videos circulating on the Internet featured the young lady's lifeless body on a pickup truck.
Shani Louk's family initially assumed that the woman was severely injured but was alive and staying in a hospital in the Gaza Strip. Following the Hamas attack, the family advocated for the release of all hostages.
Shani Louk had German and Israeli citizenship.
Earlier, reports emerged that Washington was pressuring Israel to postpone its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip in order to gain time to release more hostages held by Hamas and provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
On 20 October, Hamas freed two American citizens who had been held hostage after the attack on Israel.