News

Shani Louk: Kidnapped and killed

By Elija Meade

Oct. 31, 2023

A 23-year old German-Israeli woman who was kidnapped from the Nova Music festival by Hamas militants on October 7,2023 has been found dead, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign affairs has said. It is  devastating to share that the body of 23 year old German-Israeli Shani was found and Identified. A source involved with her identification told CNN Louk´s death was announced after forensic examiners found a bone fragment from her skull. The bone fragment was found 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 kidnapped at the festival in southern Israel on October 7 2023. She was tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas terrorists. The ministry statement said, adding "she experienced unfathomable horrors. ¨May her memory be a blessing¨ the statement said. The bone fragment combined with the circumstances surrounding the October 7 attack and Video  that appeared to show Louk unconscious on the back of a Hamas truck, led investigators to believe these were her remains.

This article was written by journalism students at Waynesboro High School.