Israeli soldier killed in Gaza weeks after auditioning as Israel’s Eurovision entry

Eurovision Song Contest.Shaul Greenglick was one of three soldiers recently reported dead by the Israel Defense Forces, via The Times Of Israel, following the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.According to Billboard, Greenglick auditioned for Israel’s The Next Star, a singing competition series through which the country’s Eurovision contestant is selected, while on furlough last month.He earned a place in the show’s next round but he reportedly dropped out of the contest in order to return to his military duties.Baruch Dayan HaEmetThis was 26 year old Cpt. (res.) Shaul Greenglick of the Nahal Brigade's 931st Battalion from Raanana who was killed in action in GazaHe was once a contestant on the Israeli singing show called "The Next Star"May his memory be for a blessing pic.twitter.com/GcycIWBCT4— Documenting Israel (@DocumentIsrael) December 26, 2023It comes just days after Yotam Haim, the drummer for Israeli heavy metal band Persephore, was killed by the Israel Defense Forces after being mistaken for a Hamas fighter.Since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Israeli military have said 170 of its soldiers have been killed.

21,800 people in Gaza, two-thirds of them women and children, have died in the conflict, according to the health ministry in Gaza (via Sky News).

Around 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas on October 7.Meanwhile, Eurovision was subject to backlash and boycott calls after allowing Israel to compete in next year’s competition.