Hamas victim Shani Louk's grief-stricken mother reveals how award given for photo of tattoo artist's naked and mutilated body being paraded by terrorists forces her family to relive her murder on October 7

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 of her adult life and friends of her family have said that that is how she should be remembered.

Shani Louk was attending the SuperNova Festival with her boyfriend Orion Radoux

Shani, 22, was German but grew up in Israel, and was one of hundreds of unsuspecting partygoers at the Nova festival

German tattoo artist named Shani Louk, who was in her early 20s, was in Israel to attend a peace rave at the time of the attack

Louk's friend, Yuli Tsinker, pictured at Louk's memorial at the SuperNova festival

'This is how we choose to remember the beautiful Shani Louk,' wrote one. 'We will not allow her memory to be trampled by the inhuman thugs celebrating the AP photo of her tragic murder.'

'I am horrified,' wrote another. 'This is a picture of terrorists parading a dead body of a Jewish woman after they murdered her. Shame on you.'

Louk's family and other victims of the SuperNova killings sued AP and fellow news agency Reuters in February accusing them of collusion in the atrocities they documented.

They claim that agency freelancers were 'longstanding Hamas affiliates and full participants in the terrorist attack', who knew it was about to take place.

Lobby group HonestReporting, which raised concerns about the coverage posted its 'congratulations' to AP for winning the award.

'How does it feel to do so on the back of Palestinian photo journalists who infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7 and took photos like the one below of Shani Louk's dead body in a Hamas pickup?' they demanded.

'Was RJI bothered about that before bestowing the award?'

The sentiment was echoed by Israeli MP and diplomat Danny Danon who tweeted: 'This photo captures Hamas terrorists desecrating the body of Shani Louk, may her soul rest in peace.

'Yet the AP news agency proudly received an award for it. Their continued pride in their photographers' 'work' and involvement in the atrocities is shameful.' 

Both AP and Reuters denied any collusion with the attacks, and AP issued a statement in February saying it had the 'deepest sympathy for those affected' but insisted the allegations were 'baseless'.

'AP had no advance knowledge of the October 7 attacks, nor have we seen any evidence — including in the lawsuit — that the freelance journalists who contributed to our coverage did,' they wrote.

'Allegations like this are reckless and create even more potential danger for journalists in the region.

Nissim Louk (right) expressed a firm belief that his daughter's photograph will leave a mark on human history, considering it a symbol of the current era and hopefully serving as documentation for generations to come

Louk's father, Nissim (right) expressed a different perspective, saying, 'It's good that the photo won the prize'

'Documenting breaking news events around the world — no matter how horrific — is our job.

'Without AP and other news organizations, the world would not have known what was happening on October 7.'

Despite the fury of some at the photo, Shani Louk's father spoke out in defence of the award.  

Nissim told Ynet: 'It's good that the photo won the prize. This is one of the most important photos in the last 50 years.  

He expressed a firm belief that his daughter's photograph will leave a mark on human history, considering it a symbol of the current era and hopefully serving as documentation for generations to come.

'These are some of the photos that shape human memory, the Jew raising his hands, the paratroopers at the Western Wall, photos that symbolize an era,' he continued. 'This documentation of Shani, and of Noa Argamani on the motorcycle, they symbolize this era. I think it's a good thing to use it to inform the future.'