Yuval Raphael performs in Basel Survivor of the Hamas massacre represents Israel at the ESC

Yuval Raphael, who survived a Hamas attack, will represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel. The 24-year-old won an Israeli casting show.

Yuval Raphael will represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel. The 24-year-old singer survived the devastating Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, in which she hid under corpses in a bomb shelter. Of the more than 40 people in the shelter, only eleven survived. These traumatic experiences did not stop her from pursuing her singing career.

On January 22, Raphael came out on top in the Israeli casting show "Hakochav Haba". After her victory, she was overwhelmed and grateful for the opportunity to represent her country on the big stage in Switzerland.

Her song for the competition will be announced in the coming weeks.

She wants to share her voice and story

"Music is a strong part of my healing process," says Raphael. She has been pursuing her professional singing career for a year now and uses her platform to talk about her experiences. She even appeared before the UN Human Rights Council to share her story. At the ESC, she wants to represent Israel from a position of strength and share her experiences with the world.

Since her first appearance on the casting show in November, Raphael has emphasized that she wants the world to hear first-hand what she has been through. She wants to make sure that no one questions her experiences. Her participation in the ESC is not just a musical competition, but also an opportunity to share her voice and her story.

The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.

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