IsraelAtWar: Girl kidnapped by Hamas and seen semi-naked in pickup truck identified as German tattoo artist
A shocking video of a naked girl who was kidnapped from a dance festival by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas from Gaza strip after their attack on Israel has been identified as a German citizen and a tattoo artist, media reports said on Sunday.
The victim in a semi naked state and appearing almost lifeless in a pick-up truck has been confirmed as that of Shani Louk and after identifying her daughter, the mother of the girl, released a statement appealing for her release and information.
She confirmed she had seen her daughter on the video and requested people for more information.
CNN has confirmed the identity of the woman as Shani Louk, and said she is a German-Israeli dual national. Her cousin confirmed to the Washington Post that Louk attended the music festival for peace near the Gaza border fence in Israel on Oct 5.
Shani Louk was among the hundreds of victims in Israel when Hamas targeted a dance party near Kibbutz Urim and other Israeli communities, according to the New York Post.
The terrorists were hollering “Allahu Akbar” — Arabic for “God is Great” as they paraded her apparently still body around, NY Post reported.
In the video, Louk appears dead while a grenade-wielding militant has her leg on her waist, while another militant was holding her dreadlocks, said media reports.
One man is seen spitting on Louk’s head as the vehicle drives off.
“We recognized her by the tattoos, and she has long dreadlocks,” Louk’s cousin told the Washington Post. “We have some kind of hope … Hamas is responsible for her and the others.”
The whereabouts and condition of Shani is still unknown.
Shani Louk was a 30-year-old German citizen and had a mixed ethnic background, with a Jewish father from Poland and a Christian mother from Germany.
Shani is a tattoo artist and hair stylist, according to social media accounts that are assumed to be hers.