Shani Louk: Mother confirms the death of the woman missing following a Hamas attack.
According to her mother, Shani Louk, an Israeli-German woman believed to have been abducted by Hamas militants during an Israeli music event, has passed away.
Speaking to German media, Ricarda Louk revealed that the Israeli military had informed her that Shani's DNA had been found in a sample obtained from part of a skull bone.
Her remains are still missing.
On social media, Shani's sister also verified the passing.
Adi Louk posted on Instagram on Monday stating that Shani had perished in the "massacre at Re'im"—a reference to the strike that Hamas carried out on October 7 in southern Israel, close to the Gaza Strip.
However, the stories did not specify the location or time of the skull fragment's discovery.
It was "devastated" to have to announce the news of her passing, the Israeli foreign ministry remarked on X, the previous Twitter platform.
When gunmen opened fire at the festival in Kibbutz Re'im, the 22-year-old was among the scared partygoers who fled through the desert.
According to Israeli authorities, around 260 individuals lost their lives and others were kidnapped.
Shortly after the assault, a video showed a young woman's body being carried through the streets in the back of a flatbed truck with armed combatants and others shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) went viral on social media.
Despite the fact that the woman was face down, Ms. Louk's family claims that her dreadlocks and unique tattoos allowed them to identify her.
Ms. Louk's mother stated at the time that she thought her daughter was still alive, despite rumors in the media and online that she had passed away.
In an online request for information, Ricarda Louk stated, "We were sent a video in which I could clearly see our daughter unconscious in the car with the Palestinians and them driving around the Gaza Strip."
Speaking on Monday, Ricarda Louk told the German TV news channel RTL/ntv that she now believed her daughter had died on October 7 and might have been shot in the head during the Hamas attack.
She added, "At least she [Shani] didn't suffer," and that having assurance was a wonderful thing.
The Israeli officials claim that around 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas strikes; however, because some of the bodies are in terrible condition, it has taken longer to identify some of the victims.
Four persons have been freed from captivity, while more than 220 are believed to still be held captive.
As for Gaza, the health ministry operated by Hamas reports that since Israel started its retaliatory airstrikes, over 8,000 people have died.