Israel’s Yuval Raphael has made it through to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel.
The 24-year-old – who survived the Nova massacre by playing dead under bodies of victims – performed New Day Will Rise, a stripped-back ballad about grief, survival and healing in the semi-final. Like last year’s Israeli entry, Hurricane by Edan Golan, the song carries the crushing weight of 7 October.
She won one of ten places in the final to take place on Saturday night – and is listed by bookmakers among the favourites to triumph.
Her success comes despite calls from some countries – and former contestants – for Israel and its broadcaster to be barred amid Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas.
Earlier this month, she told Jewish News about the song she hopes will carry hwer to victory. “It’s about saying, ‘I’m still here. Real people, real emotion. I want my performance to feel honest. Intimate. Stripped back.”
