The bodies of three Hamas hostages, including that of festival goer Shani Louk, have been found in the Gaza Strip by IDF soldiers.
Following Hamas brutal October 8 attack, disturbing footage and photos emerged showing the half-naked corpse of Ms Louk, a German-Israeli dual citizen, being transported on the back of a truck.
The Israeli military also found the bodies of Itzhak Gelerenter, 57 and Amit Buskila, 28, which they say were recovered during an overnight operation in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The IDF have not shared details about where the bodies were recovered but local media has claimed they were found in a tunnel in Jabalia, in the north of the Gaza Strip.
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AP)
Shani, a tattoo artist from Germany, was attending the Supernova festival in southern Israel and was among the hostages taken to Gaza, following the devastating raid. A horrifying video shared widely online showed Shani’s partially clothed body being carried through the streets on the back of a pick-up truck driven by Hamas gunmen.
The United Nations has republished third-party estimates that more than 34,900 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and more than 1,200 people in Israel, since the war began.
The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters have paid tribute to the dead hostages saying they “bow their heads in deep sorrow and with broken hearts” following the news.
A statement to MailOnline said: “The families of the 129 hostages and the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters bow their heads in deep sorrow and with broken hearts following the announcement of the murder of Shani Louk, Itzik Gelernter, and Amit Buskila, may their memories be a blessing, by Hamas terrorists.”
The statement continued: “The return of their bodies is a painful and stark reminder that we must swiftly bring back all our brothers and sisters from their cruel captivity – the living to rehabilitation, and the murdered to a proper burial.”
First announcing Shani’s death, Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog claimed that the young festival goer was murdered by the “sadistic animals” and decapitated. “I am truly sorry to report that we have now received news that Shani Nicole Louk has been confirmed murdered and dead. Her skull has been found,” he told the German newspaper Bild. “This means that these barbaric, sadistic animals simply chopped off her head as they attacked, tortured and killed Israelis. It is a great tragedy and I extend my deepest condolences to her family.”
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Instagram)
After Shani was kidnapped, her mum shared a distressing video begging for help, saying: “This morning my daughter, Shani Nicole Louk, was kidnapped with a group of tourists in southern Israel by Palestinian Hamas. We were sent a video in which I could clearly see our daughter unconscious in the car with the Palestinians and them driving around the Gaza Strip. I ask you to send us any help or any news. Thank you very much.”
