Hamas attack survivor to represent Israel at Eurovision

A survivor of the October 7 2023 Hamas attack will represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Switzerland in May.

Yuval Raphael, 24, won first place in a singing contest on Israeli television that determines Israel’s entry to Eurovision.

She won with a performance of the Swedish group ABBA’s pop hit Dancing Queen, which she dedicated to the victims of the attack.

Ms Raphael survived the Nova music festival in southern Israel as Hamas militants stormed the event, killing hundreds and taking many hostage during Hamas’s cross-border raid.

She has given evidence in the Israeli parliament about her experience on October 7. She described hiding from gunmen under piles of dead bodies for eight hours, and said: “I’m going to deal with this thing for the rest of my life.”

Last year’s Eurovision was overshadowed by the war in Gaza, with large demonstrations protesting against Israel’s participation.

Israel’s representative, Eden Golan, who ended up taking fifth place in the competition, was kept under tight security.