Israel has agreed to review the song “October Rain,” the country’s possible entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, after contest organizers raised objections to lyrics that appeared to refer to the October 7 attack by Hamas, Israel’s national Kan TV channel reported on Sunday. Reuters reports.

Eurovision, which this year will be held from May 7 to 11 in the Swedish city of Malmö, calls itself an apolitical event and can disqualify artists who violate this rule. The Kan TV and Radio Company was tasked with selecting Israel’s entry for Eurovision.

The main Israeli offering is “October Rain”, a ballad performed by soloist Eden Golan.

According to the text, which appeared in the press and was later confirmed by Kahn, it contains lines such as “There’s no more air to breathe” and “They were all good kids, every one of them” – obvious allusions to the people who were hiding in shelters , while Hamas militants carried out attacks in which they killed or kidnapped people at an open-air music festival or elsewhere that sparked the war in Gaza.

Kahn said he asked the writers of both “October Rain” and runner-up “Dance Forever” to revise the script while maintaining creative freedom. Then he will officially choose a song to send to the Eurovision committee.

The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision and previously said it was in the process of reviewing the lyrics, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kahn’s decision.

The Israeli broadcaster said it had agreed to make the changes following a request from the country’s president, Isaac Herzog.

“The President stressed that at this time, especially when our haters are trying to single out and boycott the State of Israel at every turn, Israel must make its voice heard proudly and with its head held high and raise its flag in every world forum, especially this year.” – said Kahn.

Several countries have called for Israel to be excluded from Eurovision to protest the heavy toll in the Gaza war, which began on October 7 after a Hamas attack and has killed at least 1,160 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. .

According to the Hamas Health Ministry, Israeli retaliatory military operations in the Palestinian territories have resulted in more than 30,400 deaths.

In 1973, Israel became the first non-European country to be allowed to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest and has won the competition four times, including with Dana International in 1998, News.ro reports.

Read also:

• Eurovision organizers confirm again that Israel will not be excluded from the competition: “This is not a competition between governments”
• Robin and Fever Rae among more than 1,000 Swedish musicians calling for Israel to be kicked out of Eurovision