The death of German-Israeli citizen Shani Louk, who was abducted by Hamas while at a music festival, has been confirmed.
Louk’s mother told German news agency dpa that she had been informed by the Israeli military of the death of her daughter, who had been missing since the Hamas attack on October 7.
The 22-year-old tattoo artist was attending the Nova festival near the Israel-Gaza border when militants opened fire on partygoers who fled through the desert.
In Hebrew media, Louk's family said they had received a letter from the Israeli Zaka rescue service, who told them a bone from the base of her skull had been found and identified. They said she could not live without the bone.
Louk's sister Adi announced the woman's death saying: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of my sister.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Hamas must be held accountable for Louk's death and others killed by the militant group in the October 7 attack on Israel.
“The news of Shani Louk’s death is terrible,” Scholz wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Like many others, she was brutally murdered. This shows the full barbarity behind the Hamas attack — who must be held accountable.”
“This is terror, and Israel has the right to defend itself,” Scholz wrote.
Following the October 7 incursion, footage of the 22-year-old was released, showing her face down in the back of a truck while Hamas militants jeered.
During Hamas' rampage at least 1400 people were killed, with around 229 being taken hostage.
While some hostages have been released, a number remain in captivity - and are likely being used to dissuade Israel from starting a full ground invasion of Gaza.
The attack sparked a declaration of war from Israel, who had been pounding Gaza with non-stop airstrikes.
The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has reached 8306, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids.
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