Israel’s Yuval Raphael defied expectations to come in second in the annual Eurovision song contest on Saturday, narrowly losing out to Austria after being buoyed by the popular vote but also drawing points from the juries in 14 countries. “Thank you, Europe! Am Yisrael chai!” Raphael shouted from the stage after her performance.

Israeli singer Yuval Raphael was greeted by a cheering crowd at Ben Gurion airport Sunday after placing second at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland. (AP video by Ami Bentov)

Yuval Raphael is the singer representing Israel at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Israel’s participation in Eurovision is controversial due to its ongoing war on Gaza, in a conflict that Palestinian health authorities say has killed more than 52,800 people.