More than three weeks after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, the family of kidnapped German Shani Louk has received news of her death. The 22-year-old was abducted at a music festival.
According to the Israeli government, the German Shani Louk, who was abducted by Hamas terrorists, is dead. The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced this on the online service X (formerly Twitter).
The Foreign Office confirmed the death of another person with German citizenship, but did not comment specifically on the Shani Louk case. A spokesman repeated earlier information that it must be assumed that “a single-digit number of German citizens have fallen victim to Hamas’ terror.”
Family speaks out
Louk’s family had previously expressed their concern for Shani for more than three weeks: “Unfortunately, we received the news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive,” said mother Ricarda Louk to the dpa and RTL/ntv news agency. The Israeli military told her this.
The mother assumes that her daughter has been dead since October 7th – she may have been killed by a shot in the skull during the terrorist attack.
Abducted at a music festival
Louk was one of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas at a music festival near the Gaza Strip. At least 260 people were killed there. A little later, a video of the terrorists circulated on the Internet that showed the young woman lying on her stomach in the back of a truck.
Louk’s mother had recently said that she had no idea where her daughter was being held in the Gaza Strip. She may have been treated in a hospital in the Gaza Strip. Ricarda Louk, who has roots in Baden-Württemberg, had, among other things, called on the federal government to do more to release her daughter and other hostages.
More than 1,400 people killed
More than 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas massacre on October 7 and the following days. According to the Israeli army, a total of 239 hostages are said to have been kidnapped into the Gaza Strip, including several Germans. The Foreign Office continues to speak of a total of eight missing cases of German citizens, although one case could also include several family members. The government does not give the exact number.
According to information from the terrorist organization Hamas, which cannot be verified, 50 hostages are said to have died in Israeli bombing attacks. Four women were released.
Relatives hope that more hostages can be released through negotiations. This is apparently also about an exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. At the same time, freeing hostages is one goal of the ground offensive underway in the Gaza Strip. However, this is considered extremely difficult.
With information from Jan-Christoph Kitzler, ARD Tel Aviv