Israel says that in the music festival, 23-year-old Shani Lauk, who was kidnapped by Hamas, has been declared dead

The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that on October 7, the 23-year-old German-Israeli woman, kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from the Nova music festival, has been declared dead.

On Monday, the Ministry posted on Ex, formerly known as Twitter, saying, "We are saddened to inform that the body of 23-year-old German-Israeli Shani (Lauk) has been found and identified."

A source connected to her identification told CNN that the announcement of Lauk's death was made when forensic examiners found a piece of bone from her skull.

The piece of bone was from the temporoparietal part of the skull, which is usually based on the skull, typically near the carotid artery, a major blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain. DNA testing confirmed that the fragment belonged to Lauk.

Lauk was participating in the festival in southern Israel on October 7 when Hamas violated the border between Gaza and Israel.

The statement from the Foreign Ministry stated that Lauk was kidnapped during the festival and "subjected to torture by Hamas terrorists and was moved around Gaza." It also mentioned that she experienced "endless horror."

The statement concluded with, "May her memory be a blessing."

The piece of bone, circumstances around the October 7 attack, and videos that showed Lauk unconscious behind a Hamas truck were all considered in the examination that led to the conclusion that these were her remains.

The video from the site showed that during the October 7 attack, militants blocked the road leading to the festival from the north and south, preventing people from reaching Lauk's car, even from a distance. They then surrounded her from three sides, shot at her, and forced her to flee eastward into the fields.

Shani's mother Ricarda Lauk told CNN earlier this month that she had last spoken to her daughter at the beginning of the month when she heard rockets and alarms in southern Israel, trying to see if she had reached a safe place. Shani told her mother she was at the festival and had no place to hide.

"She was driving her car, and soldiers were standing by her cars and shooting so that people couldn't reach her cars, not even from a distance. They couldn't even get close. And then they took her," Ricarda told CNN, adding that she hopes to see her daughter again but the situation looks bleak.

According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), over 260 bodies were found at the site of the Nova festival, but based on CNN's analysis, the total number of casualties could be even higher.

The body of Israeli-German dual citizen Lauk was seen in a video in an unconscious state behind a Hamas truck after the attack on the music festival.

"After the video, you saw, it's impossible to see if she's alive or dead. It was very scary, and we were very worried," Shani's mother said in a press conference days after the violence.

Her mother had asked the German government for assistance in her daughter's release. Lauk said, "I really can't understand how such a cruel event can happen during the day, and it was completely astonishing."

Several hostages were also taken back to Gaza. Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagar told reporters on Sunday that the latest count of hostages taken by Hamas in the enclave is up to 239.

Earlier, four hostages were released - an American woman and her daughter, and later an 85-year-old Israeli woman and her 79-year-old friend.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing pressure from the families of hostages to ensure their release. The concern is growing over what the expanded Israeli ground campaigns in Gaza to secure the hostages could mean for their safety.

On Saturday, Netanyahu met with the families of the hostages in Tel Aviv, where he demanded answers about his loved ones' safety and put pressure on him to secure their freedom as Israeli aggression escalated.

"We spoke clearly and without uncertain words and told the Prime Minister that a 'for everyone' principle-based comprehensive deal is a deal that families will consider, and it has the full support of the entire Israeli nation," Mirav Leshem Gonon, the mother of Romy Gonon, who was abducted from the festival, said in a press conference with the families after the meeting.

The "for everyone" deal will include the release of prisoners held in Israeli jails in exchange for the release of hostages, which is estimated by the non-governmental organization the Palestinian Prisoners Club to be 6,630 people.

On Monday, Hamas released a short video showing three women believed to have been taken captive by Palestinian militant groups. In the video, they are seen sitting on plastic chairs in front of the camera, while one of the women addresses Netanyahu directly with increasing anger. She refers to a press conference held "yesterday" by the families of the hostages, indicating that it was filmed on Monday.

The women do not show clear signs of physical mistreatment, but CNN is unable to verify any details about their condition or well-being.