We deeply mourn the loss of Shani Louk, the 23-year-old German-Israeli festivalgoer who was tragically kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed this devastating news, and they have expressed their profound sorrow, stating, “Our hearts are broken 💔. May her memory be a blessing.”
In a chilling and disturbing detail, Isaac Herzog, the President of Israel, has reportedly revealed to a German newspaper that Shani was beheaded. This revelation only adds to the shock and horror surrounding her untimely passing.
Shani was attending the Supernova festival near the Gaza Strip on October 7, the same day when Hamas initiated a violent attack, opening fire on the festivalgoers with guns and rockets and kidnapping dozens of them. Prior to the attacks, video footage captured Shani dancing and enjoying herself on the festival grounds. However, the events that followed were nothing short of nightmarish, with her being stripped naked and paraded in the back of a pickup truck by Hamas terrorists who showed her utter disrespect.
Throughout this harrowing ordeal, Shani’s mother, Ricarda, had been desperately seeking any information about her daughter’s well-being. At one point, she received a report from an unnamed Palestinian suggesting that Shani was still alive and receiving treatment at a Gaza hospital. The circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear, and it is uncertain whether her passing occurred before or after the report of her alleged treatment at the hands of Hamas.
Shani’s boyfriend, Orión Hernández Radoux, who was with her at the festival, also experienced a distressing aftermath. Chilling texts written in Arabic, bearing messages such as “Liberate Palestine,” “God damn you,” and “I spit on you,” were sent to contacts in his phone after the attack.
At just 23 years old, Shani’s life was tragically cut short. Our hearts go out to her family, friends, and all those affected by this terrible loss. May she rest in peace.