Shani suffered “unfathomable horrors,” Israeli authorities said. The young woman was captured when Hamas militants stormed the Tribe of Nov music festival in southern Israel on October 7.
“I am very sorry to announce that we have received the news that the murder and death of Shani Nicole Louk has been confirmed,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog told the German newspaper Bild.
“What we saw on the border between Gaza and Israel goes far beyond a pogrom. We saw a slaughterhouse.”
Shani’s mother, Ricarda Louk, told the German network RTL on Monday that they were informed of her daughter’s death.
The circumstances of his death were not immediately clear. Her family initially thought she was alive but injured when she was kidnapped at the music festival, but now believe she was killed the same day, possibly shot in the head, German broadcaster RTL said.
Ricarda Louk was born in Germany and moved to Israel three decades ago.
The German government confirmed the death of a German citizen on Monday, but did not offer specific details.
The head of the German government, Olaf Scholz, described the news of the death as “terrible.” “Like many others, she was brutally murdered,” Scholz said in X. “This shows all the savagery behind the Hamas attack, which must be held accountable. This is terrorism and Israel has the right to defend itself,” he added.