[Cherie]

The devastated mum of a 22-year-old woman kidnapped by Hamas militants on October 7 has confirmed she has died after being given false hope.

Shani Louk, a tattoo artist from Germany, was attending the Supernova festival in southern Israel and was among the hostages taken to Gaza. A horrifying video shared widely online showed Shani's partially clothed body being carried through the streets on the back of a pick-up truck driven by Hamas gunmen, but her mum Ricarda said she had received a tip-off that her daughter was still alive. However the grief-stricken parent has now announced she's been told Shani is dead.

She told German broadcaster RTL/ntv: "Unfortunately, we received the news yesterday that my daughter is no longer alive." Her sister Adi also confirmed the death of Shani on a post on Instagram, writing: "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of my sister." The circumstances around her death remain unclear and it is not known where her body was found. There has been no official confirmation from the German Foreign Ministry.

A cousin of the woman said the family received an official notice from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and ZAKA, a voluntary team of paramedics, saying that a bone from the base of a skull had been found - and matched Shani's DNA. According to The Jerusalem Post, doctors concluded she could not possibly be still alive as a person cannot live without the bone found.

After Shani was kidnapped, her mum shared a distressing video begging for help, saying: "This morning my daughter, Shani Nicole Louk, was kidnapped with a group of tourists in southern Israel by Palestinian Hamas. 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. I ask you to send us any help or any news. Thank you very much."

She was probably dead when they paraded her around poor girl