Hamas victim Shani Louk's grief-stricken mother reveals how award given for ... trends now
The grief-stricken mother of Hamas victim Shani Louk has revealed how an award given for a photo of her daughter's half-naked and mutilated body forced her family to relive the trauma of her murder.
The 22-year-old German-Israeli was one of 364 people killed at the SuperNova Festival, which she was attending with her boyfriend, in the October 7 attacks.
The picture shows four Hamas militants celebrating as they brandish a rocket launcher and guns while sitting on top of Shani Louk's body, which is lying face down in the back of a pickup truck.
That photo, which was taken by freelance photographer Ali Mahmud, was the centerpiece of the submission that won photo agency AP the Team Picture Story of the Year category from the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism.
Now Shani's mother, Ricarda, has revealed the award has forced her family to relive the trauma of her daughter's murder.
Shani Louk, 22, (right) was one of 364 people killed at the SuperNova Festival by terrorists on October 7
Ricarda Louk, 53, holds up a picture of her daughter before she was brutally killed in the October 7 Hamas attacks
The photo was the centrepiece of a submission for Team Picture Story of the Year award
She told the Telegraph: '[It is] 'traumatic for all of us. Just try to imagine seeing your loved girl lying half-naked and lifeless on the truck with those savages around her.'
The tattoo artist was still wearing the clubbing outfit she had on while attending the music festival in the picture.
Separate footage recorded in the hours after the photo was taken shows her body being paraded around the streets of Gaza, with some passers-by spitting on her.
'Seeing those pictures again because of the contest makes our family relive the pain,' said Ms Louk.
The 53-year-old added that her family were not told in advance that the photo was being put forward for an award, which she said 'made me angry'.
'The fact they celebrated this photo with a prize makes us hurt even more because really, it’s like celebrating that they were killed.
'I mean, the whole massacre is celebrated. It’s not by chance that they chose this picture so it hurts us even more.'
MailOnline has contacted AP for a comment.
Director of photojournalism at the photojournalism institute, Lynden Steele, said it 'strongly' condemned the October 7 attack but defended the award.
He said: 'Reactions to the Team Picture Story of the Year express the greater emotions related to that conflict.
'While we understand the reactions to the pictures, we also believe that photojournalism plays an important role in bringing attention to the harsh realities of war.'
The prestigious university was branded a 'disgrace' when it awarded the world's oldest photo journalism price for the picture of the 22-year-old's mutilated body.
'RJI thinks a horrifying picture of Shani Louk's half-clothed, dead body is award-winning work,' tweeted GOP House whip Tom Emmer.
'Disgusting,' he added at the time.
Family photos of the young woman showed a happy and carefree spirit at the outset
