Shani Louk 'can rest' now family says as murdered hostage's body found a few days before her mother’s birthday (2024)

Shani Louk was one of three hostages found dead in Gaza, the Israeli military confirmed recently.

Louk’s parents Ricarda and Nissim were informed of the discovery on Friday after which her father looked at the photos to confirm his daughter’s identity.

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“We also saw the tattoos on her hands,” he said on Saturday, The Times of Israel reports. “Now she will have her own place next to us and we can go there whenever we want. And she can rest.”

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The funeral for the 22-year-old is scheduled to be held on Sunday, a day that also happens to be her mother Ricarda’s birthday.

“I think Shani said ‘Let’s give my mother a birthday present and let’s go back and be close to her,’” Nissim is quoted as saying.

The two other hostages identified on Friday were Itzhak Gelerenter and Amit Buskila.

Louk, Gelerenter and Buskila were at the Nova music festival near the Gaza border when terrorist group Hamas attacked on October 7. They were killed while trying to escape and their bodies were taken to Gaza, military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said during a news conference.

“Overnight, our troops recovered their bodies and brought them back home to Israel. We will continue operating to bring all of our hostages home. May their memories be a blessing,” the Israeli Defense Forces wrote in a post on Instagram on Friday, alongside pictures of the three victims.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “heartbroken” over their deaths in a post written in Hebrew on X, formerly Twitter.

Until the recent confirmation by the IDF, Gelerenter and Buskila were considered alive, the Times of Israel reported.

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Louk was confirmed dead in late October “after a piece of her skull was identified following widely shared footage of terrorists kidnapping her,” the Times wrote.

Hamas-led terrorists killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducted around 250 others in the Oct. 7 attack. Around half of those hostages have since been freed, most in swaps for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during a weeklong cease-fire in November.

Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more. Israel’s war in Gaza since the attack has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

With additional reporting by the Associated Press

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