The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they happen.
Lag B’Omer revelers at Mount Meron deter firefighters from putting out illegal bonfire
During Lag B’Omer festivities on Mount Meron, Haredi revelers shout at firefighters trying to extinguish an illegal bonfire at the site.
“Get out of here!” shouts a young man as a group crowds around the three firemen, one carrying an extinguisher.
The three eventually back down from the crowd, giving up on trying to put out the illegal fire and resorting to watching the flames from a distance.
“Nothing can be done,” says one of the firefighters to The Times of Israel following the brief spat. “Even though we want to put it out, we can’t.”
He laments that police are not enforcing the fire chief’s ban on bonfires announced last week.
Though police can be seen on the perimeter of the tomb complex, they are nowhere to be found in the crowded inner areas.
Ahead of the holiday and a week after massive wildfires wreaked havoc on the outskirts of Jerusalem, the Fire and Rescue Service ordered a nationwide ban on lighting fires in most open areas. The order lasts until May 18.
Yuval Raphael advances to Eurovision final after performing ‘New Day Will Rise’
Israel’s Yuval Raphael advances to the grand final of the 2025 Eurovision following her performance in Thursday night’s semifinal.
While those in the arena said a smattering of boos could be heard during her performance, only cheers could be heard on the live TV broadcast. There were also only a small number of Palestinian flags visible in the audience, despite fears of a strong presence.
Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 Nova festival massacre, will sing “New Day Will Rise” again during Saturday night’s grand final against 25 other acts.
יום חדש יזרח ???????? ???? הביצוע המלא של יובל רפאל בחצי גמר האירוויזיון 2025 pic.twitter.com/HwtBbA9vrZ
— כאן (@kann) May 15, 2025
The full results of the semifinals — which are based solely on a public vote — are only released by producers after the grand final.
Unlike the semifinals, the results of the grand final will be based on a 50/50 mix of the televote and the jury vote — in which professional juries from all 37 participating countries pick their favorites.
Small dueling pro-Israel and anti-Israel protests were held in Basel earlier this evening. A larger anti-Israel protest is slated for Saturday night.
Father of slain hostage urges UN Security Council to condemn Hamas, uphold missing persons resolution
Ruby Chen, the father of slain hostage Itay Chen, speaks in New York before the United Nations Security Council, urging the implementation of UN Resolution 2474, which addresses the obligation of returning hostage bodies in armed conflicts.
Chen explains that his son, an IDF soldier who holds US, German, and Israeli citizenship, was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and declared dead in March 2024 based on intelligence gathered by the Israeli military.
However, Hamas has not been willing to acknowledge that Itay is in their possession or confirm that he is dead, Chen tells the Security Council, saying, “I think this is the lowest form of terrorist psychological warfare imaginable.”
“Resolution 2474 obligates parties, state and non-state actors, such as Hamas, in armed conflict to search for and account for the missing. Hamas, by refusing to provide information or access to hostages, even to peace-making entities such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, are in clear violation of this resolution and of international law,” Chen says.
His son’s “physical status, whatever it might be, does not make him any less of a hostage,” he adds.
Chen asserts that Resolution 2474 “must not remain symbolic. It must become enforceable,” and that it “gives the UN and members a legal, but even more so, a moral framework to condemn Hamas for its actions and to sanction its backers, such as Iran.”
He also asks the UN to establish a dedicated special envoy for hostage affairs, saying that without one, the international body “leaves families like ours without a vocal point, without guidance, and without adequate representation.”
Lastly, Chen says that in light of the ongoing negotiations in Doha to reach a potential hostage-ceasefire deal in Gaza, “we also cannot allow a reality where there will be a new UN resolution declaring an end of violence in Gaza without the release of the last hostage.”
“Bring them home now,” he concludes.
Earlier this evening, Leah Goldin, the mother of Lt. Hadar Goldin, who was killed and captured by Hamas on August 1, 2014, delivered a press briefing at the UNSC, similarly urging council members to uphold their commitment to returning missing persons.
Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, is also slated to address the Council during the session.