Israel's Eurovision contestant Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 Nova festival massacre, has spoken out about the hostility she's faced in Basel, Switzerland, over her nation's inclusion.
The 24-year-old singer, who will perform her song New Day Will Rise in Thursday's semi-final, was targeted as she walked the "turquoise carpet" carrying an Israeli flag, including a protester making a "throat-slitting" gesture toward her during Sunday's opening parade.
Footage shared on social media shows a man in a keffiyeh and "boycott Israel apartheid" t-shirt making the threatening gesture toward the Israeli delegation.
Raphael has been travelling with enhanced security due to growing threats and calls to boycott her appearance.
Israel's national broadcaster KAN has filed a criminal complaint with Swiss police and submitted a formal grievance to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), describing the act as a "targeted hate crime".
The EBU director Martin Green appeared unaware of the incident when interviewed, saying protesters had demonstrated "in a peaceful and respectful manner".
Yuval Raphael was met by pro-Palestine protestors on Sunday
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Despite the hostility, Raphael maintained her composure throughout the event. "It was scary at times, even uncomfortable, but it makes me keep reminding myself why I'm here and my agenda, which is spreading as much love as I can and bringing pride to my country," she told the BBC.
The incident follows a security warning from Israel's National Security Council advising citizens attending Eurovision to avoid wearing Jewish symbols.
Raphael has been preparing for potential hostility during her performance, admitting she's even taken the drastic step to rehearse with the sound of booing being played
"I think I'm expecting it," she said. "But we are here to sing and I'm going to sing my heart out for everyone. I had a few rehearsals where we put sounds in, so I can practice when there are distractions in the background."
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Yuval Raphael has admitted she's prepared to be booed
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When asked if this preparation was upsetting, Raphael acknowledged she was setting aside many emotions to stay focused, saying: "I really think I have a lot of weight on my shoulders, I have a very big responsibility. I have a lot of people at home that are expecting something."
Israel's participation in Eurovision has faced significant opposition, with more than 70 former contestants signing a letter calling for the country's exclusion from the competition.
Several national broadcasters, including those from Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and Iceland, have questioned Israel's involvement. Critics have pointed to Russia's expulsion from the 2022 contest following its invasion of Ukraine as a precedent.
The EBU has maintained that Eurovision should remain a "universal event that promotes connections, diversity and inclusion through music".
Raphael's Eurovision journey comes after her harrowing experience at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, where Hamas gunmen attacked revellers. She and her friends sought refuge in a concrete bomb shelter with around 50 others.
Gunmen shot repeatedly into the shelter and threw hand grenades. In a recorded call to her father, she pleaded: "Dad, lots of people are dead. Send the police here."
Raphael was one of only 11 people in the shelter to survive, hiding under dead bodies for eight hours until rescue. She still has shrapnel in her leg from the attack.
Her professional singing career began after surviving the massacre and Raphael has chosen to focus on her performance rather than the controversy.
"Everybody has opinions," she said. "I'm really putting everything aside and just concentrating on the most important thing. The slogan this year is 'united by music'.
"It feels like a personal win, just to be having this experience and representing my country and doing it with such pride," she told the BBC.
"I wished for myself to be happy and to really understand the gift that I had been given, and that's to live," she said.
Despite the controversy surrounding Israel's participation, Raphael remains determined to share her message of hope through her song New Day Will Rise.
