Shani Louk, a German woman who had been captured by Hamas operatives on October 7, has died and her body has been found by the Israeli troops in Gaza, her family and Israel government confirmed today.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of my sister,” her sister Adi Louk said on social media.

The 23-year-old was taken hostage when she was attending the Supernova music festival near the Gaza border, which became one of the targets of a surprise Hamas attack on October 7.

After she went missing, an appeal by her mother Ricarda Louk seeking the German and Israeli governments to get Shani Louk back went viral on social media. “We were sent a video in which I could clearly see our daughter unconscious in the car with the Palestinians and them driving around the Gaza Strip,” she had said in the video.

The 23-year-old had been paraded naked in a pick-up truck after being captured. The woman is lying face down in the video shared by Hamas but her family say they identified Ms Louk from her dreadlocks and distinctive tattoos.

Sharing the news of her death on X, Israel said, “Shani who was kidnapped from a music festival and tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas terrorists, experienced unfathomable horrors. Our hearts are broken.”

We are devastated to share that the body of 23 year old German-Israeli Shani Luk was found and identified.

Shani who was kidnapped from a music festival and tortured and paraded around Gaza by Hamas terrorists, experienced unfathomable horrors.

Our hearts are broken ?.

May… pic.twitter.com/GLXOmePRAd

— Israel ישראל ?? (@Israel) October 30, 2023

Shani was attending the music festival and clips on social media had shown her dancing and singing with her friends just hours before the Hamas group stormed into the venue.

Around 260 bodies were recovered from the festival site.

Here are five points on the actor:

The actor, a native of Kochi, initially started her career as a TV show anchor before venturing into TV serials. She made her acting debut on the small screen with the serial ‘Sthree’ and went on to feature in other projects.Ms Menon is well known for her supporting roles in several television shows and movies including ‘The City of God’, ‘Marykkundoru Kunjaadu’, ‘Bombay March’, ‘Karyasthan’, ‘One Way Ticket’, ‘Athbhutha Dweepu’, among others. She also worked as a producer in several serials.According to local reports, Ms Menon was facing financial problems at the time of her death. Apart from acting, Ms Menon was also a professional Bharatanatyam dancer.She is survived by her father C G Ravindranath and mother Umadevi.

Malayalam actress Renjusha Menon was found dead at her flat in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday morning. The 35-year-old actor was found hanging in the flat she shared with her husband Manoj, who is also an actor. Some reports say that she was going through financial troubles at the time of her death.

Though the preliminary conclusion is suicide, authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death. The body will be taken for autopsy later.

According to local reports, the actor, a native of Kochi, initially started her career as a TV show anchor before venturing into TV serials. She made her acting debut on the small screen with the serial ‘Sthree’ and went on to feature in other projects.

She is well known for her supporting roles in several television shows and movies including ‘City of God’, ‘Marykkundoru Kunjaadu’, ‘Bombay March’, ‘Karyasthan’, ‘One Way Ticket’, ‘Athbhutha Dweepu’, among others. These roles made her a household name and catapulted her into popularity. 

She also worked as a producer in several serials. Apart from that, Ms Menon was also a professional Bharatanatyam dancer. She is survived by her father C G Ravindranath and mother Umadevi.

A few hours before her death, the actor posted a funny video on Instagram along with ‘Anandha Ragam’ co-star Sreedevi Anil. 

The tragic news left her fans shocked and heartbroken who posted several comments on her Instagram page, condoling her death. One user wrote, ”Just a fraction of a second enough to change the destiny…Rest in Peace Sister.”

Last month, another Malayalam actor, Aparna Nair, died of suicide. The 33-year-old actor, who acted in a few movies and numerous serials, was found hanging inside her room at her residence. Aparna was staying with her husband and their children, police said.

(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.)

Helplines:

AASRA: 91-22-27546669 (24 hours)
Sneha Foundation: 91-44-24640050 (24 hours)
Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health: 1860-2662-345 and 1800-2333-330 (24 hours)
iCall: 022-25521111 (Available from Monday to Saturday: 8:00am to 10:00pm) 
Connecting NGO: 18002094353 (Available from 12 pm – 8 pm)