Eurovision organizers are scrutinizing an Israeli song participating in the event after media leaks indicated that its lyrics reference the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas, which sparked the latest war in Gaza. The Eurovision contest, set to take place this year from May 7 to May 11 in Malmö, Sweden, describes itself as a non-political event and can disqualify any competitor it believes has breached this rule.
Israel submitted the song "October Rain" by singer Eden Golan. According to the newspaper Israel Hayom, the song contains phrases like "there's no air left to breathe" and "they were all good children, all of them," which clearly hint at events that Israel claims occurred on the day of the attack. Israel Hayom also reported that the song referenced "flowers," a symbol used by the military to denote war casualties.
An official from Israel's public broadcasting corporation (Kan Radio), which sponsors Israel's contest entry, confirmed to Reuters that the leaked lyrics are accurate. The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision, stated in a release that it is "in the process of reviewing the song's lyrics in a confidential procedure between the union and Kan Radio until a final decision is made."
The union added, "If a song is deemed unacceptable for any reason, broadcasting authorities are given the opportunity to submit a new song or new lyrics, in accordance with contest rules." Kan Radio noted that it is having a "dialogue" with the European Broadcasting Union on this matter.
Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar posted on the platform X that any decision to exclude "October Rain" would be "outrageous." He denied that the song is political, claiming it "expresses the feelings of the people and the nation in the present time." Israel has won the annual Eurovision contest four times.
