The 22-year-old German national's mother said she had received news that her daughter is in a hospital in Gaza.

The mother of Shani Louk, a 22-year-old German national believed to have been kidnapped by Hamas fighters during the militant group’s surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, said on Tuesday that her daughter is alive.

Louk, a tattoo artist, was attending the Tribe of Nova music festival in the plains of the Negev Desert near Urim, close to the Gaza Strip, on Saturday when Hamas fighters stormed the event. She’s believed to have been seized by the militants and paraded through the streets in the back of a pick-up.

…

On Tuesday, Louk’s family announced they had proof that Louk—who grew up in Israel—was alive. German news website Blick reported that her mother said she was in a hospital in Gaza with serious head injuries.

“We now have more information that Shani is alive,” her mother told television channel NTV, adding she received the information from unnamed Palestinian sources.

The mother added that Louk is seriously injured, and asked the German government for help and quick action.

  • RedexEnglish
    64•2 years ago

    Damn that really is surprising. I’m glad that she’s alive. Hope that she can return home safe.

    • Travalaaaaaaanche!English
      14•2 years ago

      Was it not her in the truck then? I thought the family had positively identified her by her tattoos.Though, you really can’t see much of them in the video that went viral.

  • @rullstolsbunden@lemmy.worldEnglish
    58•2 years ago

    This is a big doubt. “Unnamed Palestinian sources” = Hamas propagandism.

    We have all seen the video where Hamas proudly showcases her mangled lifeless body.

    Wishful thinking from that poor mom who is being used to turn the narrative for Hamas when they realized Shani Louk was a german citizen.

    • Khalic
      47•2 years ago

      If you care about victims of rape, don’t spread that bs about “life being over” and other disheartening quotes that make them feel like a used up rag. If she survives, it’s cause for celebration, period.

      • BreakDecksEnglish
        55•2 years ago

        Nobody said anything about her being raped, and never said anything about her life being over. She was present during a mass-killing, was brutalized in the process, and she is now being held captive by a terrorist group. Even if Hamas wasn’t raping their victims (which they absolutely are), living through this will, without a doubt, change the trajectory of a person’s life.

        • @KredeSeraf@lemmy.worldEnglish
          23•2 years ago

          It blows my mind that there are people who think mental recovery from things like this is a simple, easy process. Imagine all the horrors of war without any of the training and purpose of cause that allow you to cope just a bit and most still suffer from severe PTSD from that. She just got more trauma crammed into one week than many will see in their entire lives, with more to come and maybe more previously we don’t know about. Her life isn’t over, and it could eventually be fine. But it will be different.

      • @LilB0kChoy@lemm.eeEnglish
        36•2 years ago

        I agree with the point you’re making.

        her life will never be the same after these horrible events

        I don’t think this is the equivalent of saying life is over. It’s saying that if Shani Louk is alive it’s good news while also acknowledging that there has still been significant grievous harm caused to this young woman.

        Her not being dead is not equivalent to no harm/no foul. Hamas still has responsibility for significant harm caused to Shani Louk.

        • Khalic
          3•2 years ago

          It wasn’t trying to diminish the atrocity, sorry if it came out that way. This is humanity at its lowest. I’m just happy she might still survive.

          I just keep the aggressor out of my head when thinking about the victim, they don’t deserve the attention.

          I guess I’m a little triggered by this specific theme, thx for the feedback.

          • @LilB0kChoy@lemm.eeEnglish
            12•2 years ago

            It wasn’t trying to diminish the atrocity, sorry if it came out that way.

            You did not, not to me at least.

            I just keep the aggressor out of my head when thinking about the victim, they don’t deserve the attention.

            That’s a great way to approach it. I was only speculating on the original commenter’s intent because that’s how I think about it too. I’ve had trauma in my past and it’s shaped who I am today; I reflect on it often. When I see stories of trauma for others I always have the thought about how their trauma is now going to shape their life going forward.

            I guess I’m a little triggered by this specific theme

            With good cause for sure! Harm and trauma don’t take away your agency or humanity, that happens by how others react to you after.

      • @Socsa@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        28•2 years ago

        I’m more worried about the fact that she is very likely paralyzed to some degree and appears to have a hole in her head.

      • @GBU_28@lemm.eeEnglish
        25•2 years ago

        Suggesting their life will never be the same is not equivalent to suggesting they are worthless. They didn’t say “life being over”

        Victims of rape will never be the same, as they will have a very traumatic event in their history. That event is of significance, not devaluation.

      • @Daisyifyoudo@lemmy.worldEnglish
        25•2 years ago

        Did you actually read what you were responding to, or just have kneejerk reaction?

        You’re not wrong, but the person you are responding to didn’t say any of those things.

      • @Obsession@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        19•2 years ago

        You’re the only one interpreting it like that.

        Some trauma stays with you for life. No one’s calling her a “used up rag,” the reality is that she may continue to suffer from what happened for the rest of her life.

      • @Squeak@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8•2 years ago

        What about ‘serious head injuries’? They can be pretty life changing and can end up in ‘life being over’ compared to normal…

        • Khalic
          -4•2 years ago

          There are many possibilities like this you’re right, she might be brain dead, etc. I was using a broad definition of “alive”, having autonomic functions and a fair amount of cognitive and physical fitness.

        • @ichbinjasokreativ@lemmy.worldEnglish
          4•2 years ago

          Stripped almost naked in a crowd of armed men from a subculture that considers women of different religions to be worthless isn’t good enough for you?

  • RoboticideEnglish
    37•2 years ago

    I feel like if Hamas knows what’s good for them, they’ll return any foreign nationals they have ASAP.

    Beef with Israel is one thing, but “accidentally” kidnapping people from foreign countries you ostensibly want sympathy for is a bad move.

    • @bdonvr@thelemmy.clubEnglish
      22•2 years ago

      The thing is Israel has a very high rate of dual-nationals. A significant percentage of Israeli settlers are second or even first generation. So they either had a previous citizenship or are eligible for their parent’s.

    • @gmtom@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3•2 years ago

      Probably not a good idea. Israel has 0 problem bombing palestinians indiscriminately but they might think twice about killing their foreign hostages.

    • @madejackson@lemmy.worldEnglish
      33•2 years ago

      Swiss here, Blick is known for low quality news. This “news” is only a claim from some unknown party. Very likely inaccurate or even plain wrong.

        • @fluxion@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1•2 years ago

          No, and I’ll have to take your word on it. But her mom saw it too and still seems to have hope.

          • ThǝLobotoʍi$TEnglish
            9•2 years ago

            Hope is the last to die especially for a mother but she had both of her legs broken (or her knees were dislocated) and she was lying motionless face down. She was also very emaciated.

            I could obviously be wrong, so let’s hope for the best!

          • @gohixo9650@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
            8•2 years ago

            its her mother. Of course she still has hope. The parents keep hoping for their children are alive until the day they see them being buried in the ground. There are parents that are still hoping after 40 years of their child being missing if there is no body found.

            However her mother has neither talked with her or even seen her in a video that for example is alive in an ICU if she can’t talk.

    • @khalic@lemmy.worldEnglish
      -12•2 years ago

      Oh no, the valuable hostages go to the safe hospital that isn’t used as ammo depot or as missile launching site…

  • @zephyreks@lemmy.mlEnglish
    3•2 years ago

    CNN was showing video coverage of the event where armed men (festival security? IDF?) were leading festivalgoers away at the start of the Hamas attack. There also appeared to be an armoured vehicle in the background.

    I can’t find the long form of the video that was shown, but the short form does show a vehicle with the Merkava’s characteristic chain and ball design on the turret in the background. It’s on CNN’s YouTube page and I’ll send it to people by request, but it’s rather graphic so I’d rather not link it.

    • @Jmdatcs@lemmy.worldEnglish
      23•2 years ago

      Am I missing something, or is it not possible to criticize the media’s obsession with attractive white girls without calling a person in a hospital after being beaten and probably gang raped stupid for no reason? You fucking piece of shit. See how I had a reason there?

    • BreakDecksEnglish
      14•2 years ago

      Because she’s one of the few foreign nationals identified as a victim. Because what we have seen of how she was brutalized is being used as an example of what Hamas is doing to their victims. Because she’s a human being whose rights are being violated to an extreme degree.

      All you know about her is related to the crimes against her, and you’re already willing to publicly insult her? What the fuck did she do wrong?

    • Saganastic
      9•2 years ago

      Things that are out of the ordinary make it into the headlines. This is a German citizen captured by Hamas during their invasion of Israel. Very out of the ordinary. No need to bring race into it.

    • circuscriticEnglish
      1•2 years ago

      You’re missing a lot more than something. My guess is that it’s a pretty long list which includes, but not limited to: compassion, integrity, and a lot less functioning brain cells then even the average idiot.

  • @TokenBoomer@lemmy.worldEnglish
    -61•2 years ago

    Wait. So everyone saying she was raped and paraded around naked and dead were lying? I can’t believe Liberal media anymore.

    • @Daisyifyoudo@lemmy.worldEnglish
      22•2 years ago

      Over 1600 people were attacked, some murdered and this was your takeaway. Too many times over the past several months do I read something incredibly stupid, look at the username, and it’s you. Either you have no shame or youre retarded.

    • circuscriticEnglish
      19•2 years ago

      No one was just saying that, they were watching it. Watching her stripped down and contorted body being driven around as a trophy while Hamas and their followers spit on her in the back of that truck.

        • circuscriticEnglish
          8•2 years ago

          Impressive. You know actually less than nothing about the situation, and yet still felt the need to chime in with your negative two cents.

          Yes, her family first identified her through the leg tattoos that were showing on her stripped and abused body that was being driven around, nearly naked, by Hamas, as well as her dreadlocks, and the fact that she was at that festival.

          I normally never recommend people search out and watch those horrific videos, but maybe you should take a few minutes and do that. If you don’t delete your comment out of shame afterwards, I’ll assume that you’re either a sociopath who got off watching it, or to cowardly to actually look at you were so quick to publically cast doubt on.