An Israeli army reservist was killed in the Gaza Strip just weeks after the preliminary selection that chooses Israel’s next candidate for the Eurovision Song Contest took place, Reuters reported.

Shaul Gringlik, 26, was performing on Israel’s Next Star while on vacation after being mobilized by the Israeli military following a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7.

Dressed in military uniform and with the rank of lieutenant on his shoulders, he sang a popular ballad and went through to the next round of Eurovision selection.

One of the jury members, Keren Peles, told Greenlink after the artistic moment concluded:

“I’m glad to see you in shape because it’s reassuring to see someone like you in shape. I will be glad to see you represent Israel at Eurovision.”

But after the announcement of Gringlik’s death during Tuesday’s fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, Peles said he had withdrawn from the competition because of his duties in the Israeli infantry.

Israeli soldier talks about “old dream”

“I envisioned this year in a completely different way, a year of hope and making my dreams come true,” Gringlick wrote in a December 14 Facebook post.

“Now I am living an old dream, to fight for the country… I will have to wait a little longer for a new, different dream,” he added.

After his death was announced, a video of Shaul singing with his family during his last visit home on vacation went viral on Israeli social media.

Israel estimates it has lost at least 166 soldiers in the Gaza offensive, which it launched after Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 people and kidnapped another 240 on October 7.

Instead, the Hamas-controlled government claims more than 21,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes.

The Eurovision Song Contest will be held in 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, after Swedish singer Lorin won this year.