As the IDF finally managed to retrieve Shani Louk's body from a tunnel in Jabaliya, her father has revealed the heart-wrenching way he found out about her death through a photo.
The image of Shani Louk's lifeless, partially clothed, and disfigured body on the back of a truck, surrounded by Hamas militants parading through the streets of Gaza, has become infamous. The picture sparked outrage when an AP photographer was awarded 'Photo of the Year' for it.
It has been cited as evidence of the savage slaughter that triggered the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. For Nissim Louk, Shani's father, this harrowing image was how he discovered his daughter's tragic end.
READ MORE: Shani Louk's family sent envelope with tear-jerking mementoes after her death
He was at a loss on October 7, when he couldn't contact his daughter after she went to the Nova festival. It was only when Shani's former boyfriend showed him the chilling image of her motionless, semi-nude body sprawled face-down on a moving truck, flanked by armed men, that Nissim learned she had been at the notorious Nova rave festival, where 360 other revellers were killed.
Man who 'killed 4 students' was 'creepy' regular at brewery and 'harassed women'"We didn't see any blood on that white truck so we thought, maybe she's OK," said Nissim. "We didn't know if she was dead or alive, we were trying to figure out how to get the information," he explained to The Telegraph.
They employed a local to scour Gaza's hospitals for Shani. He said: "That old man was travelling from one hospital to another trying to get a word."
Then came the devastating blow. The IDF had found a fragment of a skull that, after DNA tests, was confirmed to belong to Shani Louk.
It has since emerged that she was probably shot dead swiftly before her remains were taken to Gaza. Nissim Louk, alongside his family, collaborates with other hostage families to stage protests and pressurise the government into negotiating a ceasefire and a prisoner swap deal.
Amidst controversy over his daughter's photograph, her father defended its publication, insisting it was crucial for the world to witness the brutal reality. "I think it's a good thing to use it to inform the future," he declared.
"If I start crying, what will come of it? This is history. In 100 years, they will look and know what happened here. I travel the world, and everyone knows who Shani is."
Shani, who was raised in Israel, was seen dancing joyfully with other festival attendees, advocating for peace and against military service - beliefs she was known for. She had her last conversation with her parents just hours before Hamas militants attacked the festival.
Earlier this month, Israeli officials announced that Shani's body was among three found in Gaza. Shani, 22, was identified along with Amit Buskila, 28, and a 56-year-old man, Itzhak Gelerenter.
Just three days ago, in another Jabilaya tunnel, the body of Shani Louk's boyfriend, Orion Hernandez Radoux, 30, was discovered, alongside the bodies of Hanan Yablonka, 42, and Michel Nisenbaum. They have all now been laid to rest in Israel.