Body of German woman, paraded by Hamas, found; Israeli authorities confirm

The body of a German tattoo artist who was kidnapped and paraded around by Hamas terrorists following the attack on Israel on October 7, was found and identified. This was confirmed by Israeli authorities on Monday.

Israel confirmed the death of Shani Louk, whose mother had appealed to people for more information regarding her whereabouts. Louk was present at the Tribe of Supernova music festival in Israel, when it was attacked by Hamas.

She was reported missing by her first cousin Tomasina Weintraub-Louk. "It is definitely Shani. She was at a music festival for peace. This is a nightmare for our family," she had said, expressing hope for positive news.

"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", the Israeli government said in a tweet.

The music festival, which Shani had attended, was one of the first sites to be attacked by Hamas militants.

She was captured by the Hamas militants and paraded through the streets in the back of a pickup truck, the video of which had gone viral.

Shani's family had said they had received information from her bank that her credit card had been used in Gaza, indicating that she might have been robbed.

Days after the attack on Israel, Shani Louk's mother had said she believes her daughter is alive. In a video message her mother Ricarda Louk, said a family friend in the Gaza Strip told her that her daughter is alive in a Hamas hospital.

“We now have information that Shani is alive but has a serious head injury and is in critical condition. Every minute is critical. And we ask...no, we demand the German government to act quickly," Ricarda said in the video.

Hamas launched a multi-pronged attack on Israel on October 7, killing 1,400 people, and kidnapping 230 others. In retaliation, Israel attacked establishments in the Gaza Strip, which have killed over 8,000 people so far, the Gaza Health Ministry claims.