A 23-year-old woman of German-Israeli nationality, who was abducted by Hamas militants at the Nova music festival on October 7, has been confirmed as deceased, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry shared the tragic news on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday, saying, “We are devastated to share that the body of 23-year-old German-Israeli Shani (Louk) was found and identified.”
CNN was informed by a source involved in her identification that Louk’s passing was officially declared after forensic experts identified a bone fragment from her skull.
The bone fragment was from the petrous part of the temporal bone, which is at the base of the skull, normally near the carotid artery, a major blood vessel that provides blood to the brain. A DNA test concluded the fragment belonged to Louk.
Louk was attending the festival in southern Israel on October 7 when Hamas breached the border between Gaza and Israel. who was abducted
Louk was kidnapped at the festival and “tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas terrorists,” the foreign ministry statement said, adding that she “experienced unfathomable horrors.”
“May her memory be a blessing,” the statement expressed.
The discovery of the bone fragment, in conjunction with the circumstances of the October 7 attack and video evidence indicating Louk unconscious on a Hamas vehicle, led investigators to the conclusion that these were indeed her remains.
During the October 7 attack, militants effectively blocked the festival’s access from both the north and the south, as evident in videos from the scene. They then advanced into the festival grounds on foot, surrounding the attendees on three sides, resulting in casualties and forcing people to escape through fields to the east.
Ricarda Louk, Shani’s mother, had previously shared with CNN that she had last spoken to her daughter earlier in the month when they heard the sound of rockets and alarms in southern Israel. In a concerned call, Ricarda had inquired if Shani had reached a safe location. Shani, however, conveyed that she was at the festival and had limited options for finding shelter.