Icelandic musicians have demanded the country boycotts the Eurovision Song Contest unless Israel is banned from taking part.
The Association of Composers and Lyricists of Iceland (FTT), which represents artists in the country, says it wants the country’s national broadcaster RUV to halt its participation in the show if Israel remains in the competition.
It echoes similar calls from 2022, when many nations demanded Russia be banned over its invasion of Ukraine.
Hamas killed 1,200 people and kidnapped hundreds more in cross-border attacks on 7 October, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel has since killed more than 18,800 Palestinians, 70% of whom were women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
The FTT said: “We all have a duty to take a stand against war and the killing of civilians and innocent children.
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“We always have the choice not to put our name to such things, whether we are individuals or state institutions.
“We owe it to the nations that act with military force to not share with them in an event that is always characterised by joy and optimism.”
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RUV told Sky News a demonstration was due to take place outside its offices on Monday afternoon over the issue.
Iceland has seen relative success in the contest in recent years, and many have suggested the country’s Dadi Freyr would have won the 2020 contest, had it not been cancelled. He came fourth the following year.
Image: A Palestinian child in the Gaza Strip, where at least 18,800 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Hamas-run health ministry
Pro-Palestinian activists and groups have also called for a boycott, while Ireland’s RTE is also reported to have received hundreds of emails asking it to boycott next year’s contest.
Israel came third in the 2023 contest, with Noa Kriel’s dance-pop tune Unicorn. Kriel had previously served as a soldier in the Israel Defence Forces.
Sky News has contacted the European Broadcast Union (EBU), the show’s organisers, along with Israeli public broadcaster Kan, for comment.
The EBU, an alliance of public service broadcasters, said in a statement to Irish online newspaper The Journal: “It is a competition for broadcasters – not governments – and the Israeli public broadcaster has participated in the Contest for 50 years.
“EBU is aligned with other international organisations that have similarly maintained their inclusive stance towards Israeli participants in major competitions at this time.”
Both Iceland and Israel have confirmed their participation for next year’s contest in Sweden, but have not selected entries.
At least 20 people have been killed and dozens more injured after an Israeli airstrike targeting a school in Gaza, health authorities have said.
Reuters news agency reported the number of dead, citing medics, with the school in the Daraj neighbourhood having been used to shelter displaced people who had fled previous bombardments.
Medical and civil defence sources on the ground confirmed women and children were among the casualties, with several charred bodies arriving at al Shifa and al Ahli hospitals.
The scene inside the school has been described as horrific, with more victims feared trapped under the rubble.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Donald Trump has threatened Russia with more sanctions after a series of deadly strikes across Ukraine, as he said of Vladimir Putin: “What the hell happened to him?”
Speaking to reporters at an airport in New Jersey ahead of a flight back to Washington, Mr Trump said: “I’m not happy with Putin. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
“He’s killing a lot of people,” he added. “I’m not happy about that.”
Mr Trump – who said he’s “always gotten along with” Mr Putin – told reporters he would consider more sanctions against Moscow.
“He’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all,” he said.
Ukraine said the barrage of strikes overnight into Sunday was the biggest aerial attack of the war so far, with 367 drones and missiles fired by Russian forces.
It came despite Mr Trump repeatedly talking up the chances of a peace agreement. He even spoke to Mr Putin on the phone for two hours last week.
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Hundreds of drones fired at Ukraine
‘Shameful’ attacks
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is ready to sign a ceasefire deal, and suggested Russia isn’t serious about signing one.
In a statement after the latest attacks on his country, he urged the US and other national leaders to increase the pressure on Mr Putin, saying silence “only encourages” him.
Mr Trump’s envoy for the country, Keith Kellogg, later demanded a ceasefire, describing the Russian attacks as “shameful”.
Three children were among those killed in the attacks, explosions shaking the cities of Kyiv, Odesa, and Mykolaiv.
Image: Ukrainian siblings Tamara, 12, Stanislav, eight, and Roman, 17, were killed in Russian airstrikes. Pic: X/@Mariana_Betsa
Before the onslaught, Russia said it had faced a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday. It said around 100 were intercepted and destroyed near Moscow and in central and southern regions.
The violence has escalated despite Russia and Ukraine completing the exchange of 1,000 prisoners each over the past three days.
Donald Trump says he will delay the imposition of 50% tariffs on goods entering the United States from the European Union until July, as the two sides attempt to negotiate a trade deal.
It comes after the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in a post on social media site X that she had spoken to Mr Trump and expressed that they needed until 9 July to “reach a good deal”.
But Mr Trump has now said that date has been put back to 9 July to allow more time for negotiations with the 27-member bloc, with the phone call appearing to smooth over tensions for now at least.
Speaking on Sunday before boarding Air Force One for Washington DC, Mr Trump told reporters that he had spoken to Ms Von der Leyen and she “wants to get down to serious negotiations” and she vowed to “rapidly get together and see if we can work something out”.
The US president, in comments on his Truth Social platform, had reignited fears last Friday of a trade war between the two powers when he said talks were “going nowhere” and the bloc was “very difficult to deal with”.
Mr Trump told the media in Morristown, New Jersey, on Sunday that Ms Von der Leyen “just called me… and she asked for an extension in the June 1st date. And she said she wants to get down to serious negotiation”.
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“We had a very nice call and I agreed to move it. I believe July 9th would be the date. That was the date she requested. She said we will rapidly get together and see if we can work something out,” the US president added.
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12 May: US and China reach agreement on tariffs
Much of his most incendiary rhetoric on trade has been directed at Brussels, though, even going as far as to claim the EU was created to rip the US off.
Responding to his 50% tariff threat, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said: “EU-US trade is unmatched and must be guided by mutual respect, not threats.