Oct 7 survivor Yuval Raphael to sing for Israel at Eurovision after hiding under bodies for 8hrs during Hamas massacre

An OCT 7th survivor who hid from Hamas under dead bodies at the Nova musical festival will now represent Israel at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Yuval Raphael, 24, hid under dead bodies for eight hours to avoid capture or death during the massacre which killed hundreds of Israelis.

Singer Yuval Raphael performing on stage.
Yuval won the Israeli talent show HaKokhav HaBa (The Next Star), which allows her to sing at EurovisionCredit: Reuters
Mourners embrace at a memorial site with photos of victims.
The attack on the Nova music festival in Israel on October 7, 2023 launched Israel’s war on Hamas, leading to thousands of Palestinians being killedCredit: AFP
a blurred image of a room with a white tent
A deliberately blurred pic shows bodies piled up in a tent following the slaughterCredit: Twitter/@Israel
Memorial site with photos of victims of the 2023 Supernova music festival attack.
As part of the attack, 364 individuals, mostly civilians, were butcheredCredit: Getty

Yuval is an amateur singer who was attending the Nova music festival with her friends on the tragic day, and still has shrapnel in her head and leg.

To save her own life, she hid in a bomb shelter for hours on end underneath a pile of massacred Israelis.

She has been recounting the harrowing story of her fight for survival while competing on Israeli talent show HaKokhav HaBa (The Next Star), which she went onto win.

Winning the competing means she gets to represent Israel at this year’s Eurovision, which will take place in Switzerland this May.

After her victory on The Next Star, Yuval said: “I can’t explain how excited and ready I am!

“Thank you for giving me this huge honour and trusting me to represent my country on the grand Eurovision stage in Switzerland.”

She only began singing professionally last year, and has said that music has been “one of the strongest ingredients” in her healing process.

Since the deadly attack, which killed 364 young partygoers and saw 40 more taken as hostages, Yuval has been doing her part to pay tribute to the disaster.

Yuval has taken part in advocacy for Israel over the last year.

This has seen her speaking to the UN Human Rights Council about her experience of surviving the attack.

Israel commemorates anniversary of Nova Music Festival attacks

Whilst taking part in The Next Star final, she dedicated her rendition of ABBA’s Dancing Queen to  “all the angels” who were killed at the festival.

Her official Eurovision song will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Israel‘s official X account announced the news on Thursday to several excited reactions.

The caption read: “Yuval Raphael survived the Nova Massacre by hiding under dead bodies.

Dashcam footage of an armed Palestinian militant at the Supernova music festival.
During the early hours of October 7, Hamas militants stormed the festival groundsCredit: AFP
a pile of rusted cars with a sign that says no parking
Noa Argamani, 25, a university student, screams “Don’t kill me! No, no.no,” as she is seized by HamasCredit: Enterprise
Burnt-out van and tents at a festival site after an attack.
Israeli soldiers searched the site in the aftermath of the attackCredit: AFP
Israeli soldier searching through debris at a music festival site.
The massacre led to complete carnage in the areaCredit: Getty

“Last night, she won Israel’s “Rising Star” competition and will represent Israel at Eurovision 2025.

“This is Israel.”

In response, one person replied: “What a wonderful example of resilience!”

Another commented: “She is amazing!”

A third wrote: “We will dance and sing again!!!”

Nova music festival massacre

The massacre at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, is seen as the inciting incident which re-sparked conflict in the Middle East.

As part of Hamas’ attack, 364 individuals, mostly civilians, were killed during the open-air festival.

Hamas also took 40 people hostage, and men and women were reportedly subject to sexual and gender-based violence.

The attack was one of the first targets of Hamas’s surprise attack against Israel in the early morning hours.

One attendee stated that after cutting the electricity, a group of approximately 50 Hamas gunmen arrived in vans and sprayed gunfire in all directions.

During the massacre, according to survivor and emergency responder testimony, Hamas militants raped women and men.

According to survivor testimony released by Lahav 433, a young woman was gang raped by Hamas militants before being murdered.

Israel responded to Hamas’ act of violence by decarling war on Hamas  launching an air and ground campaign in Gaza.

As a result, more than 47,100 Palestinians have been killed.

This makes the Nova music festival massacre the launching point of one of the most devastating conflicts in recent memory.

In the past few days, Israel and Gaza have been up holding a ceasefire after 15 months of fighting.

Last year’s winner of The Next Star, Eden Golan, represented Israel at Eurovision with Hurricane, which came fifth in the competition.

Eden’s entry was met with criticism, as it was Israel‘s first time performing at Eurovision since the outbreak the of the Middle Eastern conflict.

Her team were also forced to alter the lyrics and name of Eden’s song from October Rain to Hurricane because it was seen to break rules on political neutrality.

The singer was booed at dress rehearsal and was confined to her hotel room when not performing due to violent threats against her because of her nationality.

A 5,000-strong rally in host city Malmo forced Eden to stay in her room at the time.

Sweden’s third largest city was flooded with demonstrators waving Palestinian flags to protest Israel’s participation.

Malmo had been anticipating the wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and it was feared the young Israeli-Russian singer could find herself at risk.

Smoke canisters in the colours of the Palestinian flag being set off and protesters carrying signs displaying images of Gaza victims.

Two Israeli soldiers comfort each other at a memorial for victims of the October 2023 Supernova music festival attack.
Aside from the hundreds who were killed during the attack, 40 were taken as hostages by HamasCredit: EPA
Burned cars and a soldier at the site of a music festival attack.
Israeli troops inspected the ravaged site after the attackCredit: AFP
Damaged tent at the Supernova electronic music festival after a deadly attack.
The attack launched Israel’s war on HamasCredit: Alamy
Yuval Raphael, Eurovision singer for Israel.
The announcement that Yuval will be representing Israel at this year’s Eurovision has been met with a flurry of positive reactions on social mediaCredit: Eurovision
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