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The bodies of three hostages kidnapped by Hamas, including German-Israeli Shani Luk, have been pulled out of Gaza by the Israeli military, the Israeli military said.
The other two hostages were identified as Amit Buskila, 28, and Yitzhak Gelerenter, 56, according to military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, who said the three victims were taken to Gaza after being killed by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival.
Footage of what appeared to be the body of Luk, 22, in the back of a pickup truck on the streets of Gaza was one of the first images to emerge after October 7 as the scale of the horror of the attacks became clear.
The young woman was initially believed to have been abducted alive during Hamas attack in Reim. However, on October 30, Luk’s sister, Addie confirmed that Shani had diedpossibly during the attack, following the discovery of human remains suggesting fatal injuries.
The Israeli military gave no immediate details of where the bodies were found.
Luk’s father, Nissim, said: “The news is hard, no father thought that a 22-year-old girl would disappear from her life, but we knew she was killed and we waited for our dear soldiers who were looking for her to find her her.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on X saying: “Heartbroken for such a great loss.”
“My wife Sarah and I suffer from families. All our hearts are with them in their time of great sorrow. We will return all our hostages, dead and alive. I salute our brave forces who, in decisive action, brought the sons and daughters of Israel home,” he said.
The Hostage and Disappeared Families Forum, set up by the families of the hostages, said in a statement that they “bow their heads in deep sorrow and with broken hearts. May their memories be a blessing.”
Last week, Hamas said in a statement that British-Israeli hostage Nadav Popplewell had died of wounds he sustained in an Israeli airstrike more than a month ago.
A video released earlier by Hamas’ armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, showed Popplewell showing visible signs of physical abuse. Hamas did not provide any evidence for the claim.
Popplewell and his mother, Chana Perry, 79. were kidnapped on October 7 from their residence in Kibbutz Nirim, while his older brother, Roy, died in the attack. Perry was released on November 24.
About half of the roughly 250 people who were abducted on October 7 have since been released, most in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during the week-long truce in November. According to Israeli authorities, 129 people remain in captivity and about 30 are confirmed dead.
Last week, Israeli officials told the Ynet news site that the hostage and cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas had not completely broken down. Indirect talks will resume “if there are answers from Hamas that we can work with,” the officials said.
Hamas said efforts to find a truce deal were back to square one after Israel rejected a plan by international mediators, while the White House expressed its commitment to trying to keep the parties engaged “albeit virtually.”
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