Shani Louk’s father withdraws from Knesset race and backs Ofer Winter — Jerusalem Post

In Israel, Nissim Louk, the father of Shani Louk, who was killed during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, announced his withdrawal from the race for the Knesset. He decided to support Ofer Winter and his Amha Israel party, The Jerusalem Post reports.

Support for Winter’s party

Louk had been running for the right-wing Or HaShahar party, but said he would now support Winter’s election campaign. Explaining his decision, he expressed confidence in the leadership qualities of the former Israel Defense Forces officer and his ability to implement a policy of the complete migration of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

According to Louk, one reason for his support was that Winter’s party was newly created and, as he noted, had not been involved in the events of October 7. After the Hamas attack, he publicly advocated for stronger Israeli security policies and the migration of Palestinians from Gaza.

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IDF statement on a person involved in the abduction

Louk’s statement came on the same day that the Israel Defense Forces reported the elimination of Tamer Mohammad Ibrahim al-Zabaka. According to the military, he was a Hamas member, entered Israel during the October 7 attack, and took part in the abduction of Shani Louk. The IDF said al-Zabaka was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Jabalia area in the northern Gaza Strip.

Shani Louk, a 22-year-old Israeli-German tattoo artist, was at the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im during the Hamas attack. In late October 2023, Israeli forensic services determined that she had been killed after identifying a skull fragment. Her remains were recovered from Gaza by the Israeli military in May 2024 for burial in Israel.