Israeli officials identify Shani Louk's body, beheaded by 'sadistic animals'
Shani Louk, a German-Israeli citizen who was kidnapped by Hamas and paraded unconscious on the back of a truck, as seen in footage of the Oct. 7 massacre, was discovered dead and beheaded, according to Israeli government officials.
Israel’s government said in a post to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday morning, that it had identified the body of Louk.
"We are devastated to share that the body of 23-year-old German-Israeli Shani Luk was found and identified," the post read. "Shani, who was kidnapped from a music festival and tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas terrorists, experienced unfathomable horrors. Our hearts are broken. May her memory be a blessing."
In an interview with German newspaper BILD, Israeli President Yitchak Herzog expanded on the discovery of Louk’s body.
"I am truly sorry to report that we have now received news that Shani Nicole Louk has been confirmed murdered and dead. Her skull has been found," a translated version of his comments posted to the story read. "This means that these barbaric, sadistic animals simply chopped off her head as they attacked, tortured and killed Israelis. It is a great tragedy and I extend my deepest condolences to her family."
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Louk was one of the thousands of attendees at the Tribe of Nova music festival in Israel that was taken over by Hamas terrorists who killed hundreds and took others captive.
The graphic footage of Louk, unconscious, stripped down to her underwear in a pickup truck, made its way around social media. In the video, the woman is seen face down and her legs are bent abnormally.
Though her face was unseen in the videos, her family, who recognized her tattoos and dreadlocks, identified her as the woman seen being abused.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz posted about Louk’s death on social media on Monday.
"The news of Shani Lok’s death is terrible," he said. "She was brutally murdered like many others. This represents all the barbarity of the Hamas attack, which must be punished. This is terrorism and Israel has the right to defend itself."
Anders Hagstrom and Ashlyn Messier of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.