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Shani Louk's dad pays heartbreaking tribute as she is laid to rest in Israel: ‘In your death you became a symbol’
Shani Louk, an Israeli woman who was killed by Hamas and paraded half-naked on October 7 last year, has been laid to rest in Israel.
Shani Louk, an Israeli woman who was killed by Hamas and paraded half-naked on October 7 last year, has been laid to rest in Israel. This comes days after her remains were found in the Palestinian territory.
Louk, a 22-year-old tattoo artist, was reportedly buried at a ceremony in the Israeli town of Srigim on Sunday, May 19. Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral, The Telegraph reported.
‘In your death you became a symbol’
“I want your forgiveness. We didn’t understand how dangerous it was for you to go there,” the late woman’s father, Nissim Louk, said at the funeral. “We didn’t realise how serious the risk would be there.”
“As a father I failed to protect you. Forgive me,” he added.
Days after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, a horrifying photo of Louk surfaced, where she was seen half-naked and dumped in a pickup truck, accompanied by a group of Hamas terrorists. The photo is now considered a symbol of the horror that was unleashed that day.
“In your death you became a symbol,” Nissim said. “You were the light to the dark of that terror,” he said.
Late last week, Louk’s body was returned to her family. The Israeli Defense Forces troops found the remains in Rafah while conducting operations against Hamas.
“I didn’t believe we would ever see her body,” Louk’s mother, Ricarda Louk, said at the funeral. Ricarda said the return of her daughter’s remains was a “small gift,” adding that her daughter lived an “intense life with all of her heart.”
Louk also had German citizenship. “I’m proud to have been able to receive your energy, your common sense,” her brother Amit said.
“I was always jealous of how much energy you had. You always gave me strength. I will never stop missing you, sitting with you, speaking to you, partying with you,” he said. “There is no day I don’t see the sun and see you, no day I don’t hear the birdsong and think of you.”
