Michael HarPaz is the sixteenth contestant to bid farewell to HaKokhav HaBa. 5 contestants remain in the race, including Shira Zloof, Gal De Paz, and Noam Bettan. Full recap of Episode 31.
In 5 days, the grand finale of “HaKokhav HaBa for Eurovision 2026” will take place, featuring four finalists. The winner of the competition will represent Israel in the first semi-final of Eurovision 2026, which will be held in Vienna, Austria, on May 12th.
6 contestants remain in the competition so far, but by the end of tonight’s episode, only the top 5 will continue to the semi-final.
This episode was a Hanan Ben Ari special, with each contestant choosing one of the musician’s songs. Hanan Ben Ari met with the contestants and coached them for their performances. He also performed his song “Lo HaMeshuga HaYekhidi”, joined by the contestants in the final chorus. This time, the judges did not use the “favor” or “against” voting system during the performances. Instead, they awarded scores ranging from 6 to 12 points after each performance. The judges’ scores made up 50% of the final result, while the audience votes formed the remaining 50%. The two contestants with the lowest overall scores faced elimination, and the judging panel decided which of the two would leave the competition.
Gal De Paz
Gal De Paz chose to perform the song “Mimech Ad Elay”. She took the stage accompanied by dancers dressed in black. The bluesy arrangement allowed Gal to once again showcase her fantastic vocal delivery. It’s good that she had to sing in Hebrew again — just like in her performance during the Shlomo Artzi special, something unique and flattering emerges when she sings in Hebrew. The background vocals enhanced the drama, making it a very strong performance that opened the evening beautifully.
Keren said:
“You’re amazing. You need to win this competition. You remind me of Netta Barzilai’s level. Every time you come on stage, you surprise us, and you’re always on another level”.
Itay added:
“That was your best performance so far”.
Hanan Ben Ari commented:
“This song carries anger and disappointment, and you managed to bring out so many emotions in one performance, expressing exactly what I feel in your voice”.
All five judges gave her 12 points. In total, Gal received full 60 out of 60 points.
Shaked Solomon
Shaked Solomon chose to perform the song “Ma Ata Rotze Mimeni?”. He began the song with his signature soft and delicate tone, then raised the intensity in the chorus, turning it into a cry from the heart. He adorned the song with vocal trills and falsettos, yet something about the performance didn’t fully connect.
Eden said:
“This performance didn’t flatter you”.
Assaf disagreed:
“I actually think this was your best performance”.
Shiri joined the debate:
“This was your weakest performance. It’s such a deep song, but you’re still so young and haven’t gone through enough yet”.
Hanan commented:
“You moved me deeply, I heard your heart”.
Keren, Itay and Assaf gave him 10 points, while Shiri and Eden awarded 8 points each. In total, Shaked received 46 out of 60.
Alona Erez
Alona Erez chose to perform the song “Shvurei Lev”. She began her performance playing the piano, highlighting her beautiful and distinctive voice. The stage design featured multiple microphone stands, clearly inspired by the Belgian entry at Eurovision 2024. Toward the end of the song, Alona shifted from singing to speaking, delivering a deeply emotional moment that moved the audience — and ended the performance in tears.
Shiri said:
“The verses were so beautiful and told a story, but the mannerism in the chorus pushed me away”.
Assaf added:
“Despite your young age, I have to respect your artistic choices. You chose to sing the chorus the way you wanted. I feel there’s a stylistic gap”.
Hanan commented:
“You moved me. There’s a generational difference between us, but never try to be someone else — this is who you are”.
Keren gave 10 points, Shiri, Eden, and Itay each gave 8 points, and Assaf gave 7. In total, Aךםמש received 41 out of 60.
Michael HarPaz
Michael HarPaz chose to perform the song “Amen Al HaYeladim”. His daughter accompanied him on piano. Michael struggled with the verse, as the key seemed uncomfortable for him. In the chorus, he conveyed plenty of emotion, but the performance overall wasn’t strong enough.
Hanan said:
“You sang this as a father, and you made me think of my own children”.
Keren commented:
“Your singing reminded me of Hanan’s — it was too similar. You need to bring more of yourself into it”.
Assaf said:
“I didn’t feel anything unique; you didn’t give us something that’s truly Michael HarPaz”.
Keren, Eden, and Shiri each gave 8 points, while Itay and Assaf gave 7. In total, Michael received 38 out of 60.
Shira Zloof
Shira Zloof chose to perform the song “Im Tirtzi”. She was still hoarse and struggled to sing, accompanied only by a piano. She altered the melody to suit her limited vocal abilities. The minimalist arrangement actually highlighted her beautiful singing, and despite the difficulties, she managed to deliver an emotional and touching performance.
Hanan said:
“The hoarseness brought out something in you that wouldn’t have come out otherwise. I wanted you to hit the high note. I’d been waiting all evening for someone to take a song and completely mess it up — in a good way. Thank you for that”.
Shiri said:
“You took the worst thing that can happen to a singer and turned it into a display of your personality. It was a stunning performance”.
Keren added:
“You have my whole heart. You deserve to be in the final”.
Assaf said:
“There was something cabaret-like about it, I really liked that”.
Keren gave 12 points, while Shiri, Eden, Itay, and Assaf each gave 10. In total, Shira received 52 out of 60.
Noam Bettan
Noam Bettan chose to perform the song “Atalef Iver”. As always, he sang beautifully, turning the song into an emotional ballad in his signature style. It was clear that this was not the first time he had performed this song. Once again, the transition to French served as the highlight of the performance — there’s something special in his voice when he sings in French, a roughness that doesn’t usually appear in his Hebrew singing, reminiscent of classic chanson artists.
Keren began:
“You have a seal of quality. When you start singing, I feel calm. That’s exactly the feeling I want to have when someone represents us at Eurovision”.
Hanan added:
“I felt your pain”.
Shiri said:
“I dove into the depths of the song, and you delivered an amazing interpretation”.
Assaf commented:
“You have a strong, beautiful voice”.
Itay added:
“You have the ability to respect the melody and lyrics while bringing yourself into the song with great humility and grace”.
Keren, Shiri, Eden, and Itay each awarded 12 points, while Assaf gave 10 points. In total, Noam received 58 out of 60.
Alona and Michael were nominated for elimination after receiving the lowest scores of the evening. Michael HarPaz became the Sixteenth 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.
