Shani Louk’s parents have described the heartbreaking moment they saw her body seven months after Hamas terrorists killed her and paraded her half-naked body through Gaza.
This bittersweet milestone for the family of the 22-year-old tattoo artist comes as relatives of the remaining Israeli hostages gathered at Flatiron Plaza in New York City on Friday to demand their release.
“The body we have now is complete and beautiful and looks like she is still alive,” Shani’s father Nissim Louk told the newspaper. New York Post on Friday.
The condition of her body was “a miracle,” Nissim added.
‘I think she had been in one of the tunnels, which was very cold… that’s why the body is complete and beautiful and the skin is still the same color. You can still see the tattoos, it’s amazing,” Nissim said.
German-Israeli tattoo artist Shani Louk, 22, was killed by Hamas in October 2023 after being kidnapped from the Nova music festival. Her body was found in Gaza on Friday
Nissim and Ricarda Louk, Shani Louk’s parents, expressed relief that their daughter’s body was found. Nissim invited fellow Israelis to her funeral on Sunday
Nissim said the family was relieved that the Israeli army recovered Shani’s body in Gaza and returned her to Israel. He invited other Israelis to attend her funeral on Sunday.
Shani’s mother told DailyMail.com that her daughter’s “spirit is free.”
‘It’s like closing a circle. Her mind has been free for six months, but now her body is back home and she can rest in peace,” said Ricarda Louk.
The IDF also announced on Friday the discovery of the remains of hostages Itzhak Gelerenter, 53, and Amit Buskila, 28.
There are still about 100 hostages who may still be alive in Gaza, and one of them is Omer Shem-Tov.
Shem-Tov’s cousin Leat Corinne Unger, center, gave a detailed account of her cousin’s seven-month captivity by Hamas
Unger, right, said Shem-Tov, 21, has kept his faith despite being given little food and having to ration it to keep the Sabbath
Shem-Tov’s cousin Leat Corinne Unger was at the “Open Tent Shabbat” event in New York on Friday, hosted by the United Jewish Appeal of Greater New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council.
Shem-Tov, 21, was among Israelis dragged into Gaza by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 attack on the Nova music festival. He remains in Gaza to this day.
Unger said Shem-Tov’s family had to watch helplessly as his phone’s location sharing revealed he was being kidnapped.
“During a live on-location recording, his family witnessed him being abducted to Gaza,” Unger told the Post during the event.
Unger said Shem-Tov heard gunshots around 6:30 a.m. Then he called his sister to let her know that he would try to escape by car. When that plan failed, he took to the bush on foot.
Hamas militants unfortunately caught up with him and took him away in the back of a pickup truck.
Ricarda Louk in the photo with her daughter Shani. Ricard said her mind is free and she can rest in peace now that she is back in Israel
A woman walks past posters of hostages kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 17, 2024
Unger revealed that Shem-Tov kept his faith, which she and the family learned from his friend Itay.
Itay was also kidnapped along with Shem-Tov, but was later released as part of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Once he was free, Itay told the family that he and Shem-Tov would keep time by listening to Muslim prayers. They also reportedly rationed their food.
“They scraped the salt off the pretzels they were given one time and used very little of it and saved the rest,” Unger said, adding that they also got grape juice and saved it.
“From the small amount of pita bread they were given, they took each portion of their portion and recited the blessing of the Sabbath to bring light into the darkness.”
Shani Louk is pictured in July 2023, months before her death, in the Czech Republic
Pictured: Student camp at Columbia University on April 23. They were collected shortly before Columbia’s president gave a deadline for distribution
Unger, an alumna of Columbia University, also offered her thoughts on the pro-Palestinian campus protests that have raged across the U.S. in recent weeks, perhaps most prominently at her alma mater.
“If you really want to end the suffering of innocent Palestinians, you would demand the release of the hostages,” Unger said.
She continued: “The release of the hostages will bring a ceasefire and an end to the suffering and bloodshed on all sides.”
Unger described the seven months since Shem-Tov was kidnapped as a “rollercoaster” but said his family “hopes” he will return safely.
Israel continues its ground invasion of Rafah and Hamas has said it will fight back.regardless of how long the aggression lasts and regardless of its form.’
UNRWA, the main UN aid agency for Palestinians, said more than 630,000 people have fled Rafah since the offensive began on May 6, Reuters reported.