Her performance was stirring, powerful, and precise – despite the boos by pro-Palestinians who tried to drown out her voice only to have their own noise canceled by organizers who turned off the crowd's microphones. Outside, there were massive protests and Eden had to arrive in a convoy of cars with helicopter escorts from above to make sure she was secure.
The EBU's decision to allow Israel to participate this year despite the conflict in Gaza has drawn protests.
"It's a beautiful song, a song that brings joy amidst all the darkness surrounding us," musician and entrepreneur Pnina Rosenblum says.
Controversy has also surrounded Britain's entry, Olly Alexander, for signing a petition critical of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip.
The ballad, called "Hurricane," appears to have more personal lyrics, including the lines: "Every day I'm losing my mind" and "I'm still broken from this hurricane."
Much of the song is identical to its original version except for changes that allude to the war and the mood of the country. As expected, the phrase "October Rain," which recurred several times, was completely omitted from the text.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel Hayom reported that the song written by Avi Ohayon, Keren Peles, and Stav Beger was renamed "Hurricane" instead of "October Rain" and that parts of it were altered so that that it tells the imaginary story of a woman rather than refer to the atrocities of Hamas on October 7.
The decision to announce a new song comes after the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the prestigious song contest disqualified two songs presented by Israel about the Oct. 7 massacre that were deemed too political.
"October 7 put us in a surreal reality, when you realize the country had transformed and nothing will ever be the same, I looked for a way to get back to the purity, innocence and goodness that was here once, out of the private and collective grief, sadness and loss of us all," Nili Peterson, producer, and creator of the show, told Israel Hayom.
The last three lines of the song, which is mostly sung in English, are in Hebrew, describing the condition of Israeli civilians during that time: "There's no air left to breathe / No place, no me from day to day."
