A Hamas militant who paraded the body of a German festival-goer through Gaza has reportedly been killed, according to the victim’s mother. Shani Louk, a 22-year-old Israeli-German citizen, was murdered by Hamas at the Nova music festival in southern Israel on October 7th. The mother, Ricarda Louk, stated that one of the men who transported her daughter’s body through Gaza in a pickup truck had been killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). However, she did not provide any details on how or when the man was killed or how she obtained this information. It remains unclear which of the four men seen with Louk’s body her mother was referring to.
Ricarda Louk expressed that the death of the Hamas militant did not hold significant meaning for her, as there are many others responsible for the horrific act. She stated, “It’s not like a typical murder story where you find the murderer and they got killed – they did those things as a group, so one doesn’t make so much difference to me.”
For several weeks, Louk’s family believed that she was alive but hospitalized in Gaza. However, Israeli officials later confirmed her death after identifying a fragment of her skull. Describing her daughter as a “happy, lively person,” Ricarda Louk emphasized that Shani enjoyed music and dancing until her tragic end.
Moreover, Louk’s mother called on Israel to negotiate a deal with Hamas, proposing the release of approximately 240 hostages in exchange for 4,450 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons. She expressed that keeping the hostages alive was of utmost importance and that Israel should release all the prisoners if it meant saving lives.
Relatives of the hostages held by Hamas have also pleaded with the Israeli government to agree to an “all-for-all” exchange. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced criticism for not doing enough to secure the hostages’ release, especially as the Israeli military intensifies its operations in Gaza to dismantle Hamas.
Hamas recently offered to release 70 women and children hostages in exchange for a five-day truce and the release of 275 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons. However, Netanyahu has rejected any ceasefire talks, insisting that the fighting will only pause if all the hostages are freed.
