Shani Louk, an Israeli-German national who was abducted by Hamas terrorists from a music festival in Israel earlier this month was murdered and beheaded, both her family and Israeli President Isaac Herzog have confirmed.
A DNA sample taken from part of a skull bone found by the Israeli military has been identified as belonging to the 22-year-old who was kidnapped by Hamas during the attack on Israeli territory on Oct. 7.
The skull was found separate from the rest of her body which has not yet been located.
“Her skull has been found. This means that these barbaric, sadistic animals simply chopped off her head as they attacked, tortured, and killed Israelis,” President Herzog told the German newspaper Bild on Monday.
“It is a great tragedy and I extend my deepest condolences to her family,” he added.
Shani’s family had remained hopeful that she would be found alive, despite disturbing footage that circulated on social media earlier this month showing her seemingly lifeless and naked body being spat on as it was paraded by Hamas terrorists in the back of a truck.
Family members also confirmed the tragic news on Monday.
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“Unfortunately, we received news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive,” said Shani’s mother Ricarda Louk in an interview with German broadcaster RTL.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of my sister, Shani, who was on Oct. 7, 2023, at the party massacre in Re’im,” added her sister Aid Louk in an Instagram post.
President Herzog confirmed that at least 40 other corpses from the music festival were in the process of being identified but revealed the difficulty in the process, as many have been abused, burned, or dismembered.
“What we saw on the Gaza-Israel border goes far beyond a pogrom. We saw a slaughterhouse,” he told the German tabloid newspaper. “We saw the blood flowing on the streets. We have seen the most horrific tragedies imaginable.”
More than 1,300 Israeli civilians were murdered in cold blood by Hamas terrorists during what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as Israel’s “Pearl Harbor.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vowed to destroy Hamas after the attack, which has led to a fierce retaliation in the Gaza Strip and a ground offensive in the Palestinian territory that commenced over the weekend.
