Last night, while watching the first semi-final of Eurovision, Israeli viewers experienced a strange incident. At one point, hackers the screen, interrupting the program and sharing threats.
While a video was playing, a message appeared, purportedly from the Israeli , warning viewers to leave the Eurovision Song Contest venue in northern Tel Aviv. According to the message, anyone within a 1.2-kilometer radius was in danger because of an imminent rocket attack.
The message was in video format and lasted about two minutes. At the end, it displayed a warning, stating that “Israel is not safe, you will see.”.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the warning message, but there are some speculations that it came from Arab states, from groups that support the Palestinians.
Broadcaster Kan, which shows Eurovision, said its site had been hacked for a few minutes.
An investigation has already begun, although experts believe that the message did not appear to all viewers.
Activists, who support the Palestinians, planned the hacking attack to scare people and boycott Israel, as many tourists are currently in the country to watch the Eurovision final up close.
Earlier, activists had held a march near the competition site, protesting Israel's control of the West Bank and restrictions on Gaza.
However, the march was not very successful, as most of the singers and artists participating in the competition are not particularly involved in politics.
The BDS activist group asked Madonna not to perform at the Eurovision final as planned, but the singer stated that she would never stop singing and playing music to comply with someone's political dictates.
Israeli authorities fear that there will be further reactions from Gaza or that there will be an attack on the competition, which could scare and endanger the organizers, artists and the audience.
Eurovision is an important event for the country, as it boosts tourism.
A few days ago, when the contestants had begun their first rehearsals, Gaza attacked southern Israel, firing 650 rockets.
The military tried to bring the situation under control before Eurovision. Politicians do not believe the attack was related to the timing and the fact that preparations for the contest are underway.
The second semi-final will be held on Thursday night and the final on Saturday.
