Shani Louk's mother says they can't have a 'real funeral' for her daughter because they don't have her body

• Shani Louk's mother told CNN that she can't have a funeral for her daughter because "there is no body."
• Shani's semi-naked body was paraded by Hamas militants after they attacked Israel on October 7.
• On Monday, Israel's Foreign Ministry confirmed Louk's death.

Shani Louk, the 23-year-old Israeli-German woman whose body was paraded semi-naked through the streets by Hamas militants after they attacked Israel in October, was confirmed dead on Monday. On Tuesday, her mother, Ricarda Louk, said they can't have a proper funeral for her because they don't have her body.

"Have they actually been able to return her? Have they actually found her?" CNN's Anderson Cooper asked Louk in an interview on Tuesday.

"No. The body? No. We cannot do a real funeral. There is no body," Louk replied.

Shani was attending the Nova music festival near the Gaza border on October 7 when militants from Hamas launched a series of brutal terrorist attacks against Israel. Zaka, an Israeli rescue service, said at least 260 people were killed when the Palestinian militant group attacked the music festival.

"The body we see on the video, that we know of, she was already dead when they transferred the body to Gaza. So we assume it is there," Louk told Cooper, referencing the video of her daughter being paraded through Gaza by Hamas militants after the attack.

Israel's Foreign Ministry confirmed Shani's death in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.  

"We will cherish her, the beautiful, joyful person she was. But we have to remember that there are still so many other hostages. They need to be freed and they need to be freed as soon as possible," Louk told Cooper.

Hamas has taken at least 224 hostages since it attacked Israel in October, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Four hostages have been released by Hamas thus far.

Israel declared war against Hamas on October 8. Since then, the country has launched multiple airstrikes on the densely populated Gaza Strip.

On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces claimed responsibility for an airstrike targeted Hamas operatives that devastated a refugee camp in Gaza. Palestinian officials said hundreds were killed and injured during the airstrike.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed aside calls for a cease-fire on Monday. 

"Calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism. That will not happen," Netanyahu said at a news briefing.

Both sides have reported civilian deaths and injuries amidst the conflict. More than 1,400 Israelis have died following Hamas' attacks. Gaza officials said over 8,000 Palestinians have died, with thousands more injured.

Representatives for the Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.