Daniel Azar is the ninth contestant to bid farewell to HaKokhav HaBa. 12 contestants remain in the race, including Nave Levi, Agam Hazan, Gal De Paz and Shira Zloof. Full recap of Episode 24.
12 contestants remain at this stage in “HaKokhav HaBa for Eurovision 2026“. with the grand winner set to represent Israel at Eurovision 2026, which will take place in Vienna, Austria, on May 12th, 14th, and 16th.
The next stage is the “Surprise Duet” — a challenge in which each contestant from the team performs a duet with a famous singer whose identity they don’t know in advance. The celebrity singer surprises the contestant during the performance itself. Five contestants took the stage to perform their duets, with the contestant receiving the lowest score being eliminated.
Shira Zloof
Shira Zloof chose to perform the song “Mami” (originally by Miri Mesika). What a flawless voice — so gentle and soothing. The song fits her beautifully. Joining Shira on stage was none other than judge Keren Peles. What a flawless combination — their voices blended together wonderfully. Wow, what a stunning performance! It sounded as if they had sung together many times before.
Shiri said:
“I love you so much. Everything you do, in my opinion, is good”.
Eden said:
“I think you’ve reached a point of understanding that this is your moment. You’re constantly working to improve. I’m voting in your favor because I truly believe in you”.
Assaf said:
“The moment Keren stepped on stage and loosen you up — the connection between you was amazing. It was such a pleasure to watch and listen. I think it was an excellent duet”.
All five judges voted in her favor. Shira received 91%, setting the bar for the next contestant — hoping they score lower.
Nave Levi
Nave Levi chose to sing the song “Yesh Bi Ahava” (originally by Arik Einstein) and needed to score at least 92% to secure his place in the next round. We expected him to change things up a bit and take a different approach this time, but unfortunately, he turned this song too into a classic Mizrahi-style rendition we’ve heard countless times before. Joining Nave on stage was singer Shimon Buskila. It was a beautiful performance, and their voices blended well, but it wasn’t particularly interesting — and it seems he’s not the right choice for Eurovision.
Eden began:
“I’m confused. On one hand, you move me, on the other, you have a lot of mannerisms that I struggle with — they need to be refined”.
Shiri responded:
“I like it. Nave has a very distinct style and a unique tone of voice. This duet was excellent”.
Keren said:
“I think you’re important, and you deserve to move on to the next round”.
Assaf concluded:
“The duet was great, but the moment Shimon started singing, something in you faltered”.
Assaf and Eden voted against him. Nave received 71% and stands at risk of elimination. Shira advanced to the next round.
Agam Hazan
Agam Hazan chose to perform the song “What About Us” (originally by Pink). She needed to score at least 72% to secure her place in the next round. What an excellent singer — she keeps improving and evolving with every episode. It was an especially stunning vocal performance. Joining Agam on stage was singer Roni Dalumi. What a great combination! Their energy together worked beautifully. True, there were a few slightly unpolished moments during the performance, but she absolutely deserves to continue in the competition.
Itay began:
“You have charisma, and that modesty you carry — it’s wonderful in my eyes. The performance was musical, elegant, and intelligent”.
Assaf said:
“Next to Roni, it’s clear you’re still not experienced enough. You sang well, but it wasn’t precise enough. I think it might be a bit too soon for Eurovision”.
Shiri responded:
“I actually think you held the stage well. Personally, I found it a little too loud — I missed some softness in the performance”.
Assaf, Keren and Shiri voted against her. Agam received 53% and stands at risk of elimination. Nave advanced to the next round.
Daniel Azar
Daniel Azar chose to sing the song “Yesh Ein Sof” (originally by Amir Dadon). He needed to score at least 54% to secure his place in the next round. Wow — what a powerful voice from such a shy person. He’s simply an excellent singer. It’s still unknown if this song suits Eurovision perfectly, but there’s no doubt he’s a great vocalist. Joining Daniel on stage was singer Liran Danino — Daniel’s father wrote and composed Liran’s song “Kol HaMilim”. It was a lovely combination, but since Liran Danino is a very powerful vocalist, he somewhat overshadowed Daniel, which diminished his presence and dynamic range.
Keren began:
“You have a distinctive tone, you’re simply an excellent singer.”
Eden said:
“You possess qualities and a kind of charm that can’t be taught. When you stood next to Liran, you seemed withdrawn and closed off. The dissonance between you two really stood out. I didn’t particularly like this performance”.
Shiri added:
“You got nervous when Liran exploded vocally, and that’s when the ‘glitch’ happened. You needed to stay calm and let him have his moment. Overall, it was less accurate and, in my opinion, not your best performance”.
Assaf concluded:
“This wasn’t a duet by any means. It looked like you were embarrassed by the situation. You have a great natural talent, but I don’t think you’re meant for Eurovision. The task, in this case, wasn’t successful”.
Assaf, Eden and Shiri voted against him. Daniel received 50% and stand at risk of elimination. Agam advanced to the next round.
Gal De Paz
Gal De Paz chose to sing the song “You And I” (originally by Lady Gaga). She needed to score at least 51% to secure her place in the next round. Such a talented and unique singer — just wow! Joining Gal on stage was none other than the iconic singer Red Orbach, the meber of Red Band, who competed last season alongside Moran Aharoni and finished in an impressive third place. What an electrifying duet! Two absolutely phenomenal vocalists. It was one of the best surprise duets — if not the best surprise duet — of the entire season. Simply amazing.
Assaf began:
“This was your best performance so far in the competition. You’ve shown that you have all the experience, that you understand the format and the stage. You demonstrated that you’re a true professional performer with both knowledge and skill”.
Eden added:
“I think you’re the most professional singer in the competition. It was a spectacular performance. Everything that happened here represents the Israeli ear perfectly”.
Keren said:
“What kind of singer are you?! You can do whatever you set your mind to — and you’ll do it better than anyone. You’ve got real competition here, and I believe in you. You’d make an amazing representative”.
Shiri concluded:
“I think you should represent us at Eurovision. We need a representative we can rely on, and you absolutely dominate the stage”.
Itay and Eden voted against her. Gal received 64% and advanced to the next round, Eliminating Daniel.
Daniel Azar, who achieved the lowest score of the evening, became the Ninth contestant eliminated from the show.
“HaKokhav HaBa” for Eurovision
Ahead of Eurovision 2026, the Israeli national broadcaster decided to continue its collaboration with Keshet 12 in selecting the next Israeli representative for the contest. This partnership between the broadcaster and Keshet has brought Israel seven consecutive qualifications to the Grand Final, highlighted by Netta Barzilai’s victory with the song “Toy”, which brought Eurovision to Israel.
We’ll be here throughout the entire season, reporting on all the latest news, updates, and predictions – stay tuned!
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Israel at Eurovision 2025
“New Day Will Rise” is the song performed by Yuval Raphael, who was chosen to represent Israel after winning the 11th season of “HaKokhav HaBa”. Israel advanced to the final after winning the second semi-final with 203 points and finished second overall with 357 points in the grand final. Israel ranked first in the public vote but only 14th with the jury. This marks the third consecutive year that Israel has reached the top five – an unprecedented achievement.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Israel’s 48th participation in Eurovision. Israel joined the contest in 1973 and has won four times. Its most recent victory was at Eurovision 2018 with the song “Toy”, performed by singer Netta Barzilai.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
