Ireland has announced it will pull out of the 2026 Eurovision song contest over the ‘participation of Israel‘.
Irish broadcaster RTE said it will not be a part of the contest if ‘the participation of Israel goes ahead.’
Bosses highlighted the ‘appalling loss of lives in Gaza‘ and accused the IDF of the ‘targeted killing of journalists’, as well as the plight of hostages still held by Hamas.
The 2026 contest is due to take place in Vienna after singer Johannes Pietsch took home the crown this year for Austria.
But RTE has now said it will not send an act from Ireland unless Israel are barred from the competition, with the final decision set to be made after a ruling from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
The moves comes after days of escalation by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in the conflict in Gaza, which has included strikes on other Middle Eastern countries including Qatar, typically seen as an ally of the US.
Israel has increasingly been accused of perpetrating a genocide in its war in the Gaza strip since a UN-backed report found that famine was widespread.
The 2026 contest is due to take place in Vienna after singer Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, (pictured) took home the crown this year for Austria
JJ celebrates after being crowned the winner of the 2025 contest
It has also been accused of deliberately killing journalists still in Gaza – Israel does not allow any international journalists access to the Strip to report independently – including prominent Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif.
In a statement, the broadcaster said: ‘At the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in July, a number of EBU members raised concerns about the participation of Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest.
RTÉ wishes to thank the EBU for the extensive consultation process that was initiated on foot of that meeting, and the extension of the option to withdraw from participation without penalty to December.
It is RTÉ’s position that Ireland will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if the participation of Israel goes ahead, and the final decision regarding Ireland’s participation will be made once the EBU’s decision is made.
RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation would be unconscionable given the ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza. RTÉ is also deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza, and the denial of access to international journalists to the territory, and the plight of the remaining hostages.’
Ireland has won the Eurovision seven times, the joint most of any country. In 2025, Israel came second overall.
Ireland has been one of the most outspoken western nations on the war in Gaza, which was sparked by a Hamas incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023 that led to the deaths of 1,200 people and saw around 251 people taken hostage.
Israel has waged war on Palestinians ever since, with more than 64,700 Gazans killed.
Desperate Palestinians queue for food in the Nuseirat refugee camp today
Smoke billows in Gaza City after Israeli strikes on a tower on September 10
A Palestinian woman carries a child as she walks through the rubble near the Tiba tower which crashed to the ground moments after Israeli strikes targeted the high-rise building in Gaza City
Palestinians transport their belongings as they evacuate Gaza City towards southern areas of the coastal Gaza Strip on Thursday
Netanyahu has come under renewed criticism in recent weeks after it was announced Israel would pursue a full-scale military takeover of the strip and ordered the full evacuation of Gaza City.
Israel has been accused of deliberately starving Palestinians to death with repeated blockades on aid entering Gaza.
Around 400 people have so far died of malnutrition, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Following strikes on Qatar on Tuesday, its prime minister said Israeli leader Netanyahu had ‘killed any hope’ over the release of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip after Israel attacked Hamas chiefs in Doha.
The comments from Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, ahead of appearing at the United Nations on Thursday, underlined the wider anger among Gulf Arab countries over Israel’s strike that killed at least six people.
‘I was meeting one of the hostages’ families the morning of the attack,’ Sheikh Mohammed told CNN in an interview.
‘They are counting on this (ceasefire) mediation, they have no other hope for that.’
Sheikh Mohammed added: ‘I think that what Netanyahu has done yesterday, he just killed any hope for those hostages.’
His remarks came as thousands of Palestinians sought to flee Gaza City ahead of Israel’s impending offensive there. The numbers leaving the city have grown in recent days, though many have refused because they say they no longer have the strength or money to relocate.
The Israeli military’s plans for the next phases of its operation in what it calls Hamas’ last remaining stronghold is aimed taking over the largest Palestinian city that was already devastated from earlier raids and experiencing famine.
The plans have drawn widespread condemnation and add to Israel’s already unprecedented global isolation, which intensified further this week following the strike on Qatar.
The attack on the territory of a US ally alarmed countries in the Middle East and beyond. It also marked a dramatic escalation in the region and risked upending talks aimed at ending the war and freeing hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
