Hamas attack survivor Yuval Raphael to represent Israel

Yuval Raphael, who survived a Hamas attack in 2023, has been chosen to represent Israel at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Raphael, 24, was at the Nova musical festival on 7 October 2023, when Hamas attackers killed 360 young partygoers and took 40 more hostage.

The amateur singer was attending with friends and says she survived by hiding under dead bodies inside a bomb shelter for eight hours.

Raphael has been sharing her story while competing on Israeli talent show HaKokhav HaBa (The Next Star) and winning it means she gets to compete at Eurovision in Basel, Switzerland in May.

She said after winning the show: “I can’t explain how excited and ready I am! Thank you for giving me this huge honour and trusting me to represent my country on the grand Eurovision stage in Switzerland.”

Raphael, who says she still has shrapnel in her head and leg from the festival attack, only began singing professionally last year.

During the final of the music competition, she sang a version of ABBA’s Dancing Queen, dedicating it to “all the angels” who were killed at the festival.

She also told viewers that “music is one of the strongest ingredients in my healing process” during the show.

Raphael, who is fluent in English and French as well as Hebrew, has taken part in advocacy for Israel over the last year, including speaking to the UN Human Rights Council about her experience of surviving the attack.

Her official song will be revealed in the coming weeks by Israeli public broadcaster Kan, according to the Eurovision Song Contest website.

Last year’s winner of The Next Star, Eden Golan, represented Israel at Eurovision with Hurricane, which came fifth in the competition.

The show previously selected Netta, who won Eurovision in 2018 and Noa Kirel, who came third in 2023.

Golan’s Eurovision entry was met with criticism, as it was Israel’s first time performing at Eurovision since the outbreak of its most recent war in the Middle East.

Her team were also forced to alter the lyrics and name of Golan’s song – from October Rain to Hurricane – after it was seen to break rules on political neutrality.

There were several campaigns to block Israel from taking part altogether, but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which hosts the event, ruled Israel was allowed to compete.

Golan was booed whilst performing at a dress rehearsal for the competition, which took place in Malmo, Sweden and confined to her hotel room when she wasn’t performing, due to threats of harm to the Israeli delegation.

Israel and Gaza are currently upholding a ceasefire after 15 months of fighting, which began in October 2023 after Hamas gunmen breached Israel’s Gaza perimeter fence at multiple locations and attacked nearby Israeli communities, IDF bases and a music festival.

About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

The IDF responded by launching an air and ground campaign in Gaza, during which more than 47,100 Palestinians have been killed, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.