Brother of Hamas Hostage to JJ: "Don't Hide"

The siblings of the two Israeli Hamas hostages Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal are calling on JJ, the Austrian winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, for a conversation about his statements that he supports excluding Israel from the competition. Last week, the relatives of the young men, who have been held hostage for over 600 days, had already reached out to the 24-year-old singer in a letter. Now, they have renewed their call for dialogue in a video.

JJ did not respond to the letter

Gal and Gaya Gilboa-Dalal, as well as Yeela and Ilay David, wrote a letter to JJ during a visit to Vienna following his statements, but according to lawyer Daniel Kapp, who is advocating for the hostage families, it went unanswered. Today, Thursday, the Israelis have now departed from Vienna but renewed their willingness for dialogue in a video shared via X.

"Don't hide," Ilay David directly addresses the singer in the video: "We want to help you perhaps better understand the situation in the Middle East." And Gal Gilboa-Dalal adds: "Music should bring people together, not divide them."

Outrage after statements about Israel

JJ, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel with his song "Wasted Love," bringing the world's largest music competition to Austria for 2026, had previously stated in an interview with the Spanish newspaper "El Pais," among other things: "I am very disappointed that Russia was excluded and Israel was not." Both states are aggressors. He therefore hopes for an ESC 2026 without Israel. These statements caused nationwide outrage.

(APA/Red)

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