STORY: "The hate wave is so enormous, and it made the Israeli fans feel so depressed, and again, disillusioned." In the run up to Israel's semi-final performance on the Eurovision Song Contest stage on Thursday (May 9), Israeli fan Oded Avraham say he feels despondent.Protests and boycotts are planned over the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel."We are all in Israel are heartbroken because of what happened on October 7, and it adds up. We thought we are going for this (Eurovision) escapistic bubble, fun, campic, colorful, and then it burst in our face. Another thing burst in our face. So, it's disappointing."Large pro-Palestinian protests are planned in Malmo, Sweden, where the song contest is hosted. Metal barricades and large concrete blocks have been put up around the arena, with police braced for possible unrest.On Wednesday (May 8), a vessel from Scandinavian NGO "Ship to Gaza" arrived at the port of Malmo, calling for solidarity with the people of Gaza. With stops in several European ports, the NGO aims to raise awareness of the situation for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. And will also attempt to break Israel's sea blockade of the Gaza coast.The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes Eurovision, has resisted calls for Israel to be excluded. But it has asked Israel to modify the lyrics of its original song "October Rain," which appeared to reference the Hamas attack."I have mixed feelings. It feels like it's hypocrisy that Russia was excluded and that Israel is included."While pro-Palestinian demonstrators, like Leah Ali, protest against what they call double standards, pointing to the EBU's decision to ban Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, Israeli Eurovision fan Yael Teleman says the two should not be compared. "The world perceives it as, like, Russia attacked Ukraine so now we're boycotting them, and Israel attacked Gaza so it's fair to boycott them as well. But this situation is more nuanced, and it's more complexed. Because we were attacked first, we were protecting ourselves."Some 100,000 visitors have gathered in the host city. The show is watched by some 200 million people worldwide.