Israel confirms death of German DJ Shani Louk, kidnapped by Hamas during a music festival

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today that the artist's body had been located and duly identified. Initially, there was a suspicion that the young woman who was kidnapped during the attack on the electronic music festival was alive.

Shani Louk. The young woman's mother said that she last spoke to her daughter at the festival, when gunshots were fired - Photo Reproduction/ Instagram

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed, this Monday (30), the death of the DJ of German-Israeli nationality, Shani Louk, at the age of 23. The young woman's body was shown in a video widely circulated around the world, in which she appears in the back of a vehicle belonging to one of the members of the Hamas group. Earlier, the artist's mother had also announced the death of her daughter.

“Unfortunately, we received the news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive,” Ricarda Louk told German broadcaster RTL/ntv.

Seizure

The young artist, aged 22 at the time, was participating in the Universo Paralello electronic music festival, in Reim, when she was kidnapped by the terrorist group and taken to Gaza, along with more than 200 people, including children, women and the elderly. But Shani's name became highlighted on the international scene when her mother recorded videos appealing for the young girl's rescue.

Initially, Shani was considered alive, even after the young woman was recognized in a video released by members of the terrorist organization, in which a semi-naked and apparently unconscious woman was seen in the back of a pickup truck, with several members of the group accompanying the vehicle in a parade.

Images widely shared on the internet showed a person going so far as to spit on his body. Three days after the conflict began, on October 10, Ricarda recorded another appeal video, providing updated information about her daughter. The artist's sister, Adi, also confirmed Shani's death through a post on social media.

"We now have more information that Shani is alive, but has a serious head injury and is in a critical situation. Every minute is critical," said the artist's mother in a video sent to German media at the time.

Mortal Remains

According to Israeli authorities, it is likely that the artist lost his life on the same day as the attack. Upon examining her remains, evidence was found that she had been subjected to torture, and the injuries identified on her body were so severe that they would have become impossible to survive. In a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said Shani had experienced “unimaginable suffering.”

According to information reported by German and Israeli media, a relative of the DJ reported that the family received an official statement from the Israel Defense Forces and the volunteer emergency response organization Zaka, informing that a bone from the base of Shani's skull was found and matched his DNA. After medical evaluation, professionals concluded that the absence of this bone was incompatible with Shani's survival, thus determining his death. Confirmation of death was carried out by the Israel National Institute of Forensic Medicine.