Missing tattoo artist paraded on Hamas truck following Nova festival massacre is alive, mother claims
10 October 2023, 17:40 | Updated: 10 October 2023, 17:47
A German tattoo artist, who was believed to have been murdered after being paraded on a truck by Hamas gunmen following the Nova festival massacre, is alive, her mother has claimed.
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Shani Louk, 22, appeared lifeless as she was paraded through the streets by Hamas following the massacre on Saturday.
However, her mother has now received word that her daughter is in alive but in a 'critical condition' in a Gaza hospital.
Hamas gunmen launched the attack on the Israeli peace festival on Saturday, as Israeli authorities confirmed that at least 260 bodies were found at the festival site.
Shani's mother Ricarda Louk is said to have received word from Palestine of her daughter's condition, telling German outlet Bild: "We now have evidence that Shani is alive but has a serious head injury and is in critical condition.
She added: "Every minute is critical."
"You have to act quickly and get Shani out of the Gaza Strip!" she said, directing her words at German officials.
"We shouldn’t argue about questions of jurisdiction now!"
Shani, a German national who grew up in Israel, was pictured with revellers at the Nova festival where Hamas undertook the massacre.
Her mother had previously spoken out after a video of Shani "unconscious in a car" was shared online.
Holding up a picture of her daughter, Ricarda made a social media appeal, explaining her daughter had been "kidnapped with a group of tourists in southern Israel by Palestinian Hamas".
It comes as the latest figures show 1,008 Israelis have now been killed by Hamas since Saturday.
Read More: Hamas 'murdered 40 babies and children' during massacre in Kfar Aza, Israel claims
It follows the news that a British woman saved their lives of four injured revellers after ramming her car through a roadblock as Hamas gunmen opened fire.
Noa Beer, 29, who was raised in the UK but moved to Tel Aviv, and four others narrowly escaped the massacre at the Supernova Festival in south Israel after being surrounded by Hamas gunmen who were "firing like crazy straight at me."
She had three injured strangers and a DJ with her when she rammed her car through a road block while a gunman just a few feet away opened fire at her, barely missing the car window.
The young woman drove away and "didn’t look back" and did not stop until reaching a hospital nearly 40 minutes away.
Ms. Beer says there are "no words to describe the horrors witnessed" that day.
She added: "Hundreds of people are being held by Hamas, hundreds killed and hundreds more missing.
"We all came to celebrate our freedom and love and were left there bleeding and in pain, there are no words to describe the horrors witnessed by us, children of love and trance."
Israeli authorities have confirmed that at least 260 bodies were found at the festival site.
Hamas gunmen surrounding the Supernova festival near Kibbutz Re’im in the western Negev desert opened fire at dawn on Saturday.
Tel Aviv-based Noa, raised in Hampstead, North London, ran to her Jeep with Hungarian DJ Wegha, who she had booked.
While escaping the car park they were confronted by eight terrorists spraying fleeing crowds with bullets.
Noa, whose family live in Manchester, said: "At first, when I saw the rockets flying above our heads I thought 'what a shame'.
"But when I was faced with a terrorist with a rifle 20 meters away from me and being surrounded by six more, I understood that shame wasn’t the right word, maybe terror, or maybe just misbelief that something like this could ever happen in my country.
"Five minutes later we were around 5 cars on the road, I was in the third car and most of the people had stopped on the way to get into shelter, I was trying to get back home as fast as I could.
"The next few minutes are hard to explain, the two cars before me suddenly hit the brakes and went straight into each other and there was a motorbike on the side of the road with a man laying next to it, I thought they had hit the bike and stopped.
"I was opening my door to help the wounded when I saw the first terrorist, he was 20 meters in front of me, firing like crazy straight at me, looking into my eyes. I yelled at the DJ to get out of the car and take cover, I thought there were soldiers firing back at him but to my horror it was more terrorists, they were all around us, nowhere to go.
"The people who were still alive from the other cars were crawling towards us, injured and scared, we were 5 people hiding between the cars.
"It was a split second decision, I yelled out “everyone get in the CAR!” and sat in the driver seat, it took too long to release the parking mode of the car and injured people were getting in the back seats, I was so scared, there was a terrorist straight ahead, shooting like crazy with murder in his eyes.
"I don’t know how my body managed to make the decision to try and drive out of there but that decision saved my own and another four peoples lives.
"I drove backwards and turned when I saw I could, and there were more terrorists waiting, cars colliding as the drivers were shot in front of our eyes, people trying to run and being shot dead on the spot.
"It was about 10 seconds that I saw more death than ever in my life. I saw him, looking me dead in the eyes and lifting the gun to shoot us the moment I started driving towards him."
Describing the moment she laid eyes on her would-be killer, she said: "I saw him looking me dead in the eyes and lifting the gun to shoot us the moment I started driving towards him. Not looking back, I stepped on the gas and drove. He shot at us, he was maybe 2 meters away and barely missed the window."
She added: "I honestly did not think I was going to make it. I was a combat soldier in the Army and it was pure instinct that got us out."
Two of her friends were killed and at least four others were missing last night. They were feared dead or abducted.
Read More: How the Hamas attack at the Supernova festival in Israel unfolded
Among her friends is Noa Argamani, 25, who was videoed yelling: “Don’t kill me! No, no, no,”as she was snatched and taken to Gaza on the back of a motorbike.
Ms Beer added: "People came to rave and enjoy themselves, they weren't with weapons, they had no way to defend themselves and they just came into the party and shot everyone.
"I have so many friends whose parents have no idea where they are, so many people who have lost their lives.
"The world needs to know that these are people of love and peace and happiness who just came to party and were murdered with no way to defend themselves.
"I'm the lucky one."
