Israeli officer killed by Hamas just weeks after performing song about dying on competition show
An Israeli soldier was killed in the war against Hamas, just weeks after he auditioned for the country’s popular “The Next Star” competition with a song about dying.
Reserve Capt. Shaul Greenglick, 26, of Ra’anana, a member of the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion, was killed Monday in the northern part of the enclave during a battle with the terrorists, the Times of Israel reported.
The then-lieutenant appeared in his fatigues last month to sing “Blind Bat,” which was written by Hanan Ben Ari, according to a video posted by Clash Report.
“Give me strength to find courage within me, to see a sign, because even the child that was within me died some time ago,” Greenglick sang in Hebrew on Channel 12.
“I am a blind bat screaming my life in the dark. I’m asleep but my heart is awake as I’m addicted to joy and write at night a song that clears me of sadness and I run out of air,” he continued as viewers nodded in approval.
The soldier later posted on a since-locked Facebook account that he had imagined 2023 to be a year of “ambitions and dreams fulfillment,” according to The Messenger.
“I hope this period passes and passes quickly promise to keep fighting for this country that I love and also for my dreams in the future. Right now there is only one thing in my mind and that is to keep fighting in the dark until we see the light with that our broadcasts for the coming season are over,” he wrote, according to the outlet.
“The Next Star,” called “Ha’Kochav Haba” in Hebrew, is an interactive reality TV singing competition created by the Keshet Media Group and broadcast on Channel 12.
“Shaul participated in the current season of ‘The Next Star’ and moved us all. We send our condolences and share in the deep sorrow of the family members and friends. The next episode of the next star will be dedicated to Shaul. Of blessed memory,” Keshet said in a statement.
Also killed Monday were reserve Master Sgt. Maor Lavi, 33, of the Bislamach Brigade’s 450th Battalion, and Capt. Shay Shamriz, 26, also of the Nahal’s 931st Battalion.
Shamriz was a second cousin of Alon Shamriz, one of three Israeli hostages whom the Israel Defense Forces mistakenly gunned down in the Gaza Strip after they escaped Hamas.
