Israel has unveiled its new entry for the Eurovision Song Contest after its original track was criticised for lyrics that were thought to reference the Hamas attacks on 7 October.
The new song, titled Hurricane, will be performed by singer Eden Golan during the international song competition in Malmo, Sweden, in May.
Israel agreed to change the original song, which was titled October Rain, when organisers said they would disqualify contestants who did not maintain the non-political spirit of the event.
The lyrics of October Rain included “there’s no air left to breathe” and “they were all good children, each one of them” –
apparent allusions to people who holed up in shelters as Hamas gunmen carried out a killing and kidnapping spree at an outdoor music festival.
The attack by Hamas militants in October saw more than 1,200 people killed in Israel. It also sparked the war in Gaza where more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israel military.
On Sunday, Israeli broadcaster Kan 11 revealed the new song, which has been created by Keren Peles, Avi Ohayon and Stav Beger.
Hurricane appears to have more personal lyrics than the previous song and includes the lines “every day I’m losing my mind” and “I’m still broken from this hurricane”.
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“I think the message is clear,” Golan told Kan just before the performance.
“It’s about a woman who is going through a personal crisis – a hurricane.”
Kan, which is responsible for selecting Israel’s official Eurovision entry, said it asked the writers to change the lyrics following a request from Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Eurovision describes itself as a non-political event and has previously blocked entries which they fear could politicise the event.
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Earlier this year, pressure was mounting on European broadcasters to boycott Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest because of the war in Gaza.
In 2022, Russia was banned from competing in the competition after its invasion of Ukraine.
The country’s national broadcasters subsequently suspended their memberships of the European Broadcasting Union, which organises Eurovision, meaning they cannot take part in future contests.
Last year, Israel was represented by Israeli singer Noa Kirel who performed her song Unicorn which was placed third.
The UK will be represented by Years & Years singer Olly Alexander at Eurovision this year.
The Years & Years singer will perform his new dance-infused single Dizzy, which some critics have said may be “enough to get the judges’ heads spinning”.
