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IDF Soldier Killed in Gaza Was Contender to Represent Israel in 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
Shaul Greenglick competing on “HaKokhav Haba.” Photo: Screenshot
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Tuesday the death of three soldiers who died fighting against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, one of whom could have been chosen to represent Israel in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden.
Captain (res.) Shaul Greenglick, 26, from the IDF’s Nahal Brigade, competed recently in HaKokhav Haba (The Next Star), the Israeli talent show and television program from Keshet 12 in which the winner goes on to represent Israel in the 2024 Eurovision competition, which will take place in May. The Raanana native auditioned in his IDF uniform and dedicated his performance to fellow soldiers currently fighting in the Israel-Hamas war. One of the show’s judges, Shiri Maimon, complimented Greenglick after his performance, saying, “You have a natural talent. You were born with an amazing voice.”
“You are the most beautiful Israeli, especially at this time, to see you standing here,” added fellow judge Keren Pels. “You are a gift and all your friends are a gift and I trust you. I am happy that you are wearing a uniform because it is reassuring to have someone like you in a uniform. I would love to see you represent Israel at Eurovision.”
The IDF soldier, who returned to fighting in Gaza after his audition, garnered 83 percent of the votes from the judges, which qualified him for the next round of the talent show. Keshet 12 said the next episode of HaKokhav Haba will be dedicated to Greenglick’s memory.
Greenglick was killed while fighting in the northern Gaza Strip along with Master Sgt. (res.) Maor Lavi, 33, and Cpt. Shay Shamriz, 26, who was a relative of Alon Shamriz — one of three Israeli hostages accidentally shot dead by IDF soldiers in Gaza.
Greenglick uploaded on Dec. 14 an Instagram post that included a clip of his performance on HaKokhav Haba. In the caption, he talked about putting his passion of singing on hold to help defend Israel in its fight against Hamas terrorists.
“I imagined this year differently, a year of ambitions and fulfilling dreams. Now I am living an old dream to fight for the country … a new dream and another will have to wait a little,” he wrote in Hebrew. “Thank you for the warm and encouraging words and also for the criticisms. I hope this period passes and that it will pass quickly. I promise to continue fighting for this country that I love and for my dreams in the future. Right now there is only one thing on my mind — and that is to continue fighting the darkness until we see the light.”
Following Greenglick’s death, the judges of HaKokhav Haba paid tribute to the IDF soldier.
Asaf Amdorsky praised him as “a sweet and beautiful young man with refreshing eyes, [who] put us, all of us, before his own good,” according to Israeli press reports. “He left the television program and went down to Gaza to fight with his fellow heroes. The sadness is unbearable,” Amdorsky added.
“I see the news and I can’t take it anymore,” said singer and HaKokhav Haba judge Ran Danker in an Instagram Story following the announcement of Greenglick’s death. “It’s hard to believe that a moment ago you were singing in front of us. Your music, your singing, and your eyes are etched in my memory. I have no words.”
Maimon said in a post on her Instagram Story on Tuesday: “Shaul, our dear hero, we didn’t get to know you the way we wanted but we got to hear your beautiful and comforting voice. I remember your family being happy and excited for you and now they’ve lost you, it’s impossible to understand.”
“The heart refuses to believe,” Israeli actress Rotem Sela, who hosts the program alongside Assi Azar, wrote in an Instagram post, remembering Greenglick. “You came to our first meeting and you brought so much joy and light with you. You sat surrounded by your beautiful family who looked at you proudly with sparkling eyes. You charmed us, made us laugh, we even got up to dance together. How beautiful , how much talent, how much sadness. Simply unimaginable. What a terrible reality. Sing and dance up there, beautiful boy like you, show everyone there how much of a star you are.”
Azar shared in an Instagram Story that although he met Greenglick only twice — in an interview before the audition and at the audition itself — “you didn’t need more than that to see the magic in him.” He also called the slain soldier “a smiling man, the kind you immediately want to be your friend. A singer with grace, good eyes.”
“Our hearts are full of sorrow. I wish this nightmare would end already,” he concluded by saying.
The post IDF Soldier Killed in Gaza Was Contender to Represent Israel in 2024 Eurovision Song Contest first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.