She survived the Hamas attack, this is the 24-year-old who will represent Israel at Eurovision

2025-01-24 09:07:47Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

She survived the Hamas attack, this is the 24-year-old who will represent Israel

A survivor of the October 7 Hamas attack has been chosen to represent Israel at Eurovision.

Yuval Raphael was at the Nova music festival when Hamas led a cross-border attack from Gaza into southern Israel, in which hundreds were killed and many were taken hostage.

The singer, in her testimony after the attack, said that she had been hiding under the dead bodies for hours.

The 24-year-old came first in the Rising Star song contest. She won with a performance of ABBA's Dancing Queen, which she dedicated to the victims of the attack carried out by Hamas.

After the victory, she said: " I can't express in words how excited I am. Thank you for giving me this great honor and for trusting me to represent my country on the big Eurovision stage in Switzerland."

Since the 2023 attack, which killed over 1,200 people, Israel has killed over 45,000 people in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry. About 90% of the enclave's population of 2.3 million is said to have been displaced.

A ceasefire was recently agreed to in the conflict in Gaza, and the return of hostages and the release of prisoners has already begun.


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