German woman believed to be killed by Hamas is alive, says mother

The mother of Shani Louk, a German woman whose naked body was paraded by Hamas fighters amid the ongoing war, has said that she believes her daughter is alive. This has been reported by German news outlet Der Spiegel. 

In a self-recorded video message that was distributed on the internet on Tuesday, Shani's mother, identified as Ricarda Louk, said a family friend in the Gaza Strip told her that her daughter is alive in a Hamas hospital.

She also urged the German government to help her get Shani to safety.

“We now have information that Shani is alive but has a serious head injury and is in critical condition. Every minute is critical. And we ask...no, we demand the German government to act quickly," Ricarda said in the video.

"One should not argue about the question of jurisdiction. One must act quickly to get Shani out of the Gaza Strip," the woman urges the German authorities. "This is really my desperate call to the entire country of Germany to help me get my Shani back home healthy," she further said.

As per reports, the family friend who sent Shani's family the message about her survival, was not allowed to visit her in the hospital himself.

22-year-old Shani Louk, a tattoo artist, was at the Tribe of Supernova music festival, close to the Gaza Strip, when it was attacked by Hamas fighters. She was captured by the Hamas militants and paraded through the streets in the back of a pickup truck, the video of which went viral.

Recently, Shani's family said they had received information from her bank that her credit card had been used in Gaza, indicating that she has likely been robbed.

It is estimated that over 150 people were abducted by Hamas militants during the unexpected attack on Israel on Saturday. As per reports, the hostages are being held at various locations within Gaza, while the specifics of their well-being and whereabouts remain uncertain.

A majority of these abductions occurred at the music festival where around 3,500 young attendees were participating when it was attacked by Hamas gunmen. Up to 260 people were killed at the festival.