Israel-Palestine Escalation
Israel was hit by an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7, with Hamas movement's troops infiltrating border areas. On October 8, the Israeli government announced that it had invoked Article 40 of the Basic Law, which means the country was officially in a state of war.

Germany, Israel Confirm Death of Dual Citizen Taken Hostage by Hamas

© AP Photo / Mahmoud IlleanPeople walk between posters of hostages abducted by Hamas militants in Gaza, in Jerusalem, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023.
People walk between posters of hostages abducted by Hamas militants in Gaza, in Jerusalem, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 30.10.2023
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MOSCOW/BERLIN (Sputnik) - Earlier in the day, the mother of German-Israeli influencer and tattoo artist Shani Nicole Louk, who was believed to be among those taken hostage by Hamas in Israel amid Palestine-Israel aggravation, said that her daughter was dead.
The foreign ministries of Israel and Germany on Monday confirmed the death of a dual national taken hostage by Palestinian movement Hamas in the initial phase of hostilities.
"We have to confirm the death of another German citizen in accordance with the information available to us," a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson said at a televised cabinet briefing, without disclosing the name.
Immediately after this statement, the broadcast was briefly suspended to prevent confidential data from going public.
Israeli tanks take position along the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 29.10.2023
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog identified the victim as Louk in an interview with German broadcaster Welt, saying she had been "beheaded." The Israeli president expressed his condolences to the young woman's family. The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed this information.

"We are devastated to share that the death of 23 year old German-Israeli Shani Luk was confirmed," the ministry wrote on X.

The 22-year old was a dual German-Israeli citizen, residing in Israel. Her story attracted the attention of the world's media after her mother recognized her on footage released by Hamas. Louk's mother recorded a video address, asking the German authorities to get her daughter out of the Gaza Strip and bring her back home. On the video published by Hamas, a young girl is lying face down in a pickup trunk, held down by Hamas militants, with her legs unnaturally twisted. The mother recognized her by tattoos on her legs.
On 7 October, Hamas launched a large-scale surprise rocket attack from Gaza into Israel, breaching the border and killing and abducting people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip.
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