Nova Music Festival survivor Yuval Raphael to represent Israel at Eurovision 2025

nme.com:

Eurovision this year.Raphael won the Israeli talent show HaKokhav HaBa (The Next Star), meaning she gets to compete at Eurovision in Basel, Switzerland, in May.The 24-year-old singer told the story during her time in the competition, saying she survived the attack on Nova by hiding under dead bodies inside a bomb shelter for eight hours.

Raphael also said she still has shrapnel in her head and leg from the attack.The singer only began singing professionally last year, saying “music is one of the strongest ingredients in my healing process” during the show.Her official song will be confirmed in the coming weeks by Israeli public broadcaster Kan, according to the Eurovision Song Contest website.The attack by Hamas on October 7, which targeted nearby Israeli communities and IDF bases as well as the music festival, was responsible for the deaths of 1,200 people and 251 were taken hostage.

There were 360 casualties at the festival alone and 40 hostages taken.It provoked a 15-month long attack on Gaza, during which 47,100 people were killed.

A ceasefire began last week.The inclusion of Israel at last year’s Eurovision proved controversial. Contestant Eden Golan’s song was originally called ‘October Rain’ and made reference to the attacks, but was barred from performance due to breaking rules on political neutrality.“They were all good children, each one of them”, Golan previously sang in the track.