Nemo, the Swiss singer who won the 2024 Eurovision song contest, has said they are handing back their trophy in protest over Israel’s participation in next year’s event.

The 26-year-old, the first non-binary winner of the contest, said on Thursday there was “a clear conflict” between the Eurovision ideals of “unity, inclusion and dignity for all” and the decision to allow Israel to compete.

In a statement on Instagram, they said: “Even though I am immensely grateful for the community around this contest and everything this experience has taught me both as a person and artist, today I no longer feel this trophy belongs on my shelf.”

Their decision deepens the crisis over Eurovision 2026, which is now facing a boycott from five countries over Israel’s war in Gaza.

After the contest’s organising body, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), declined to expel Israel over its conduct of the war, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia announced they would boycott the contest. They were joined on Wednesday by Iceland, where the board of the national broadcaster RÚV voted not to participate.

In their statement, Nemo said: “This is not about individuals or artists. The contest was repeatedly used to soften the image of a state accused of severe wrongdoing, all while the EBU insisted Eurovision is ‘non-political’. And when entire countries withdraw over this contradiction, it should be clear that something is deeply wrong. That’s why I’ve decided that I’m sending my trophy back to the EBU headquarters in Geneva.”

The Israeli broadcaster Kan has welcomed the decision to keep Israel in the contest, rejecting allegations of political interference. Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, has said Israel “deserves to be represented on every stage around the world”.

On Wednesday, Israel’s embassy in Norway, which also manages Israel’s relations with Iceland, said it was “disappointed” by RÚV’s move, which it said went “entirely against the spirit of the contest”.

With six months to go, 34 countries are slated to participate in next year’s edition but some have yet to say whether they will take part.

The BBC, which runs an internal selection process for the UK’s representative, has said it supports the decisions taken at the EBU summit but has not responded to questions as to whether this means it will participate or not.