<p>German-Israeli Shani Louk's father says that finally laying his daughter to rest will be a gift after her body was recovered from Gaza, months after she was killed in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.</p>

<p>Louk, a 23-year-old tattoo artist, was celebrating with friends at the Nova music festival just inside Israel before it was attacked by gunmen from the Palestinian militant group. Her body was soon seen in a video, slung across the back of a pickup truck, surrounded by gunmen and paraded through Gaza.</p>

<p>On Friday, the Israeli military informed her parents, Nissim and Ricarda Louk, that their daughter's body had been found by Israeli commandos in Gaza. Nissim Louk said that to be sure, he had viewed photos.</p>

<p>"We also saw the tattoos on her hands," he said on Saturday. "Now she will have her own place next to us and we can go there whenever we want. And she can rest."<br />
<br />
He said the funeral will be held on Sunday, which is Ricarda Louk's birthday.</p>

<p>"I think Shani said 'let's give my mother a birthday present and let's go back and be close to her'," he added.</p>

<p>Having Shani's grave nearby would be a comfort, said Ricarda Louk.</p>

<p>"Maybe we'll find more peace," she said.</p>

<p>Nissim Louk said there was also solace knowing Shani was doing what she loved best before she died and probably did not suffer. She was pronounced dead by Israeli authorities at the end of October, based on findings in the area of the Nova rave, where more than 360 people were shot, bludgeoned or burned to death.</p>

<p>Videos of a smiling Shani at the party, before the attack, surfaced in the following weeks.</p>

<p>"She was dancing the whole night. She was so happy."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Nissim Louk said,&nbsp;"She never thought that there is evil in the world because she was a free spirit. She saw it only for a couple of seconds."</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-hamas-war-israeli-hostage-shani-louks-body-recovered-who-was-she-722672">Israel-Hamas war: Israeli hostage Shani Louk's body recovered. Who was she?</a></strong></p>

<p>Around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 abducted in the Hamas-led attack, according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded by launching a military offensive vowing to eradicate Hamas that is now in its eight month.</p>

<p>More than 35,000 people have since been killed in Gaza, claims the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry. Most of the coastal enclave's population has been displaced and much of it has been laid to waste in the offensive, which has drawn fierce criticism abroad.</p>

<p>Ricarda Louk said she was pained by what she sees as ignorance and misinformation displayed at some U.S. campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza.</p>

<p><b>Also watch |&nbsp;23-yr-old German-Israeli tattoo artist Shani Louk found dead, was abducted by Hamas on Oct 7</b></p>

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<p>"It's horrible for us to see," she said. "We can tell you from our own experience. We lost our daughter in this massacre."</p>

<p>"There is no resistance that can justify what happened here," she said.<br />
<br />
<em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


German-Israeli Shani Louk's father says that finally laying his daughter to rest will be a gift after her body was recovered from Gaza, months after she was killed in Hamas' Oct.

German-Israeli Shani Louk's father says that finally laying his daughter to rest will be a gift after her body was recovered from Gaza, months after she was killed in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. Louk, a 23-year-old tattoo artist, was celebrating with friends at the Nova music festival just inside Israel before it was attacked by gunmen from the Palestinian militant group. Her body was soon seen in a video, slung across the back of a pickup truck, surrounded by gunmen and paraded through Gaza. On Friday, the Israeli military informed her parents, Nissim and Ricarda Louk, that their daughter's body had been found by Israeli commandos in Gaza. Nissim Louk said that to be sure, he had viewed photos. "We also saw the tattoos on her hands," he said on Saturday. "Now she will have her own place next to us and we can go there whenever we want. And she can rest." He said the funeral will be held on Sunday, which is Ricarda Louk's birthday. "I think Shani said 'let's give my mother a birthday present and let's go back and be close to her'," he added. Having Shani's grave nearby would be a comfort, said Ricarda Louk. "Maybe we'll find more peace," she said. Nissim Louk said there was also solace knowing Shani was doing what she loved best before she died and probably did not suffer. She was pronounced dead by Israeli authorities at the end of October, based on findings in the area of the Nova rave, where more than 360 people were shot, bludgeoned or burned to death. Videos of a smiling Shani at the party, before the attack, surfaced in the following weeks. "She was dancing the whole night. She was so happy." Nissim Louk said, "She never thought that there is evil in the world because she was a free spirit. She saw it only for a couple of seconds." Also read | Israel-Hamas war: Israeli hostage Shani Louk's body recovered. Who was she? Around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 abducted in the Hamas-led attack, according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded by launching a military offensive vowing to eradicate Hamas that is now in its eight month. More than 35,000 people have since been killed in Gaza, claims the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry. Most of the coastal enclave's population has been displaced and much of it has been laid to waste in the offensive, which has drawn fierce criticism abroad. Ricarda Louk said she was pained by what she sees as ignorance and misinformation displayed at some U.S. campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. Also watch | 23-yr-old German-Israeli tattoo artist Shani Louk found dead, was abducted by Hamas on Oct 7 × "It's horrible for us to see," she said. "We can tell you from our own experience. We lost our daughter in this massacre." "There is no resistance that can justify what happened here," she said. (With inputs from agencies)

Israeli hostage Shani Louk’s body returns from Gaza; emotional parents react

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<p>The Israeli military said on Friday (May 17) that it found the bodies of three Israeli hostages killed by Hamas during its unprecedented attack on October 7 last year. The hostages&nbsp;were identified&nbsp;as&nbsp;Shani Louk, 22,&nbsp;Amit Buskila, 28, and&nbsp;Itzhak Gelerenter, 56. Addressing a press conference, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel&nbsp;Hagari said the hostages&nbsp;were killed&nbsp;by Hamas while fleeing the Nova music festival.</p>

<p>At the same festival, hundreds of other people&nbsp;were killed&nbsp;by the Palestinian militant group. The IDF said that the bodies were found overnight, without elaborating, and did not give immediate details on where they&nbsp;were located.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-army-says-bodies-of-three-hostages-recovered-in-gaza-722617">Israeli military says bodies of three hostages 'murdered' by Hamas recovered in Gaza</a></strong></p>

<p>A report by the Times of Israel on Friday said that until recently, Buskila and Gelerenter&nbsp;were presumed&nbsp;to be alive, while&nbsp;Louk was confirmed dead in late October after&nbsp;a piece of her skull was identified.</p>

<h2><strong>Who was Shani Louk?</strong></h2>

<p>Louk was born in 2001 and was of Israeli and German descent. She worked as a tattoo artist&nbsp;and gone to&nbsp;attend&nbsp;the Nova music festival in southern Israel when Hamas militants attacked the event.</p>

<p>According to the Israeli foreign ministry, Louk&nbsp;was kidnapped at the festival and tortured and paraded around Gaza by the Palestinian militants. The ministry added that the 22-year-old experienced unfathomable horrors.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch&nbsp;Former Israeli Ambassador to India speaks to WION, says 'Rafah can wait, hostages can't'</strong></p>

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<p>A video of Hamas militants kidnapping Louk went viral on social media. The video appeared to show&nbsp;Louk&nbsp;unconscious on the back of a Hamas truck. Israeli authorities discovered her body in late October.</p>

<p>In a post on X, the foreign ministry said that it was devastated to share the news that&nbsp;Louk's&nbsp;body was&nbsp;found and identified.</p>

<h2><strong>'A&nbsp;beautiful, lively person'</strong></h2>

<p>Speaking to CNN,&nbsp;Louk's&nbsp;mother<strong>&nbsp;</strong>Ricarda&nbsp;said on October 31 last year that her daughter was a beautiful, lively person who&nbsp;enjoyed laughing and experiencing life. Ricarda&nbsp;said&nbsp;that the 22-year-old&nbsp;"was going to her car&nbsp;and&nbsp;they had military people standing by the cars and were shooting so people&nbsp;couldn’t&nbsp;reach their cars, even to go away. And&nbsp;that’s&nbsp;when they took her."</p>

<p>Ricarda also said she had hopes that her daughter would come back.&nbsp;“After the video, you saw&nbsp;that,&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;impossible to see if&nbsp;she’s&nbsp;alive or dead. It was&nbsp;very scary, and we were&nbsp;very worried,”&nbsp;she further told CNN.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The Israeli military said on Friday (May 17) that it found the bodies of three Israeli hostages killed by Hamas during its unprecedented attack on October 7 last year.

The Israeli military said on Friday (May 17) that it found the bodies of three Israeli hostages killed by Hamas during its unprecedented attack on October 7 last year. The hostages were identified as Shani Louk, 22, Amit Buskila, 28, and Itzhak Gelerenter, 56. Addressing a press conference, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the hostages were killed by Hamas while fleeing the Nova music festival. At the same festival, hundreds of other people were killed by the Palestinian militant group. The IDF said that the bodies were found overnight, without elaborating, and did not give immediate details on where they were located. Also read | Israeli military says bodies of three hostages 'murdered' by Hamas recovered in Gaza A report by the Times of Israel on Friday said that until recently, Buskila and Gelerenter were presumed to be alive, while Louk was confirmed dead in late October after a piece of her skull was identified. Who was Shani Louk? Louk was born in 2001 and was of Israeli and German descent. She worked as a tattoo artist and gone to attend the Nova music festival in southern Israel when Hamas militants attacked the event. According to the Israeli foreign ministry, Louk was kidnapped at the festival and tortured and paraded around Gaza by the Palestinian militants. The ministry added that the 22-year-old experienced unfathomable horrors. Also watch Former Israeli Ambassador to India speaks to WION, says 'Rafah can wait, hostages can't' × A video of Hamas militants kidnapping Louk went viral on social media. The video appeared to show Louk unconscious on the back of a Hamas truck. Israeli authorities discovered her body in late October. In a post on X, the foreign ministry said that it was devastated to share the news that Louk's body was found and identified. 'A beautiful, lively person' Speaking to CNN, Louk's mother Ricarda said on October 31 last year that her daughter was a beautiful, lively person who enjoyed laughing and experiencing life. Ricarda said that the 22-year-old "was going to her car and they had military people standing by the cars and were shooting so people couldn’t reach their cars, even to go away. And that’s when they took her." Ricarda also said she had hopes that her daughter would come back. “After the video, you saw that, it’s impossible to see if she’s alive or dead. It was very scary, and we were very worried,” she further told CNN. (With inputs from agencies)

Israel-Hamas war: Israeli hostage Shani Louk's body recovered. Who was she?

The hostage situation between Israel and Hamas has been a major striking point with neither side backing or giving into any kind of an exchange.

23-yr-old German-Israeli tattoo artist Shani Louk found dead, was abducted by Hamas on Oct 7

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Israeli hostage Shani Louk’s body returns from Gaza; emotional parents react

Israel-Hamas war: Israeli hostage Shani Louk's body recovered. Who was she?

23-yr-old German-Israeli tattoo artist Shani Louk found dead, was abducted by Hamas on Oct 7