Singer eyed as Israel's Eurovision entry dies fighting in Gaza
An Israeli military reservist, Shaul Greenglick, 26, has been killed in the Gaza Strip just weeks after he successfully auditioned on a TV show that picks the country's submission for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Greenglick performed on "Israel's Rising Star" on 3 December while on furlough from his mobilisation in the war against Hamas. Dressed in army fatigues and lieutenant's stripes, he sang a popular ballad and was green-lit for the next round in the selection process.
One of the judges, Keren Peles, told Greenglick on the stage: "I'm happy to see you wearing a uniform, because it's reassuring that someone like you is in uniform. I would be happy to see you representing Israel at Eurovision."
But Peles, writing after Greenglick's death in northern Gaza was published, said he had dropped out of the show because of his duties in the infantry reserves.
"I imagined this year differently, as a year of aspiration and of living my dreams," Greenglick said in a 14 December post on Facebook.
"Now I'm living an old dream, of fighting for the country .... A new, different dream will have to wait a bit."
The 2024 Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted in May in Malmo, Sweden, amidst calls the contest should be boycotted due to Israel’s inclusion on the list of participating countries.
