Yuval Raphael, Nova festival survivor and winner of the Israeli talent competition HaKokhav HaBa or ‘Rising Star’, will become Israel’s representative in the 2025 Eurovision song contest in Switzerland this spring.

The national singing contest, whose winner earns the spot to perform for Israel on the Eurovision stage, broadcast its final last night on Keshet 12, where viewers watched Raphael, 24, sing a ballad version of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” which she dedicated to “all the angels” murdered at the Nova festival.

On October 7 Raphael, who is from Ra’anana, was at the festival with friends when Hamas terrorists began their attack. She survived by hiding amidst the piles of dead bodies inside a roadside bomb shelter until the IDF arrived after a grueling eight hours. Out of the roughly 50 people who hid in the shelter, Raphael was one of just 12 who emerged alive.

She has frequently spoken out about her experience and, during the ‘Rising Star’ final, cited music as “one of the strongest ingredients in my healing process” and an outlet for her emotions.

“I want to tell them the story of the country, of what I went through, of what others went through,” Raphael said in an interview on the program ahead of the final. “I want to tell the story, but not from a place of seeking pity. I want it to be from a place of standing strong in the face of this, and in the face of the boos I’m 100 per cent sure will come from the crowd.”

Yuval Raphael, 24, will perform at Eurovision 2025 in Switzerland. (Photo: mako.co.il via Wikimedia)

She triumphed over three other contenders for the winning spot, including Daniel Wais who survived the Kibbutz Be’eri massacre on October 7. Wais, who has also spoken about finding healing through music, lost both of his parents to the attacks; his father was murdered in their home and his mother, after being taken as a hostage, was later killed in Gaza. Raphael also beat out Christian Israeli singer Valerie Hamaty, who appeared in a previous season of the show, and offbeat duo Moran Aharoni and the puppet Red Band.

The song Raphael will sing on the Eurovision stage will be selected in March by a committee convened by the Kan public broadcaster.

Last year, Israeli Eurovision representative Eden Golan was under rigid protection by Shin Bet and largely restricted to her hotel room due to a flurry of threats and anti-Israel protests in Malmo, Sweden where the contest took place. Her entry in the contest was marked by controversy as activists around the globe called for Israel to be banned from the competition amid its ongoing war with Hamas.

Israel was also forced to rewrite and retitle its song entry after it was deemed too political by the European Broadcasting Union. Originally called “October Rain” after the October 7 attacks, it was later changed to “Hurricane” and its lyrics were lightly edited. Despite the controversy, Israel finished the competition in fifth place and third in the public vote.