Israel has advanced to the Eurovision 2025 grand final after Nova survivor Yuval Raphael performed her song “New Day Will Rise” in the second round of semi-finals in Basel, Switzerland on Thursday night.
Taking the stage despite a smattering of anti-Israel protesters demonstrating outside the arena, Raphael, 24, won enough audience votes to move on to the final for a chance to become the fifth Israeli ever to win the Eurovision Song Contest, following the country’s 2018 win by Netta Barzilai.
Raphael's solo performance, elegantly stripped-back compared to the pyrotechnics, strobe lights and back-up dancers put to use in numerous performances by her competitors, was met with resounding applause by the live audience at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel – and in the media centre, too.
Also advancing to the final: Armenia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta and Greece.
