Israel recovers bodies of three kidnapped festival-goers from Gaza
The ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip is taking a deadly toll. The Israel Defense Forces reported discovering the bodies of three festival-goers who were kidnapped from the Supernova festival by Hamas. Among the victims found is Shani Louk.
The situation in the Gaza Strip has been tense for many years. On 7 October 2023, Hamas attacked the Supernova festival, organized for the Sukkot holiday. The sky above the event was suddenly filled with paragliders carrying Hamas fighters. The attackers murdered and kidnapped the participants of Supernova. Women were also raped before being killed. One of the participants was German Shani Louk. She was initially considered missing. Appeals from the tattoo artist's mother, who begged for her daughter's release, were published in the media.
Shani Louk is dead
The family of Shani Louk held out hope for a while that their loved one was alive. Despite the publication of a video on the internet showing Hamas fighters transporting Louk's limp, contorted, naked body on a car trailer, her mother believed that Shani was in critical condition but alive. This was suggested by testimonies from volunteers present in the Gaza Strip and the activity of the kidnapped woman's credit card near one of the hospitals.
On 31 October 2023, the Israeli military reported the discovery of Shani Louk's skull at the Supernova festival grounds. Genetic tests confirmed that the found head belonged to the missing woman. However, it was not yet known what Hamas had done with the rest of her body.
The bodies of three Hamas victims discovered
On 17 May 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported the discovery of the bodies of three people abducted from the Supernova festival grounds. The remains were found in a tunnel belonging to Hamas. The IDF identified the victims as Shani Louk, Amit Buskila, and Itzhak Gelernter. The information about the location of the bodies was obtained during "interrogation of terrorists," as the IDF reports.
Initially, it was believed that Amit Buskila and Itzhak Gelernter were alive but held hostage by Hamas. The discovery of the murdered individuals' bodies shocked their families, who had hoped their loved ones would return home.
The family of Shani Louk expressed gratitude that they could bury "their beautiful girl." Previously, despite the news of her death, they could not hold a funeral due to the lack of a body.
The IDF posted on X: "Shani Louk, Amit Buskila, and Itzhak Gelernter were kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists on 7 October during the Nova music festival. Overnight, our soldiers recovered their bodies and brought them back to Israel. We will continue our efforts to bring all our hostages home. May their memories be a blessing."
