Basel organizers said a European TV song contest crew member was hit in paint after rushing to disturb the performance of Israeli singer Yuval Raphael on Saturday.

The incident happened when 24-year-old Raphael performed a new day. No one was injured, and the men and women involved were accompanied on the venue.

A spokesman for SRG SSR, a Swiss broadcaster who is organizing the competition, said: "At the end of the Israeli list show, a man and a woman tried to cross the obstacles on the stage. They were stopped. One of the two agitators threw paint and one crew member was hit.

"The crew is very good, no one is injured. The man and the woman were taken out and handed over to the police."

Pro-Palestinian protesters were later released by police.

A spokesman for the Basel Police Department said: "The organizer handed over the two people to the police. The police checked the two people and then released them. It is now up to the organizer to decide whether to prosecute them."

Earlier, pro-Palestinian protests were near a free concert in the heart of Basel, opposing Israel’s inclusion in the match as the country intensified its bombing of Gaza and forced a blockade of food and other humanitarian supplies. A nearby group also showed the Israeli flag.

Protesters briefly clashed with police in the city center shortly before Raphael took to St Jakobshalle stage.

Police used tear gas and then rolled on water trucks to prevent demonstrators from marching in the center of Northern Switzerland City.

The confrontation began when two men rushed towards protesters to wave Israel's flag, according to the Swiss news agency Kestone Committee.

Israel's National Security Council has warned Israelis in Basel to “avoid confrontation with demonstrators and keep Israeli identifiers in public places.”

Hundreds of protesters, many wearing Palestinian Keffiyeh scarves, said: "No murder music", "Stop genocide" and "Gaza Burns Sing".

According to AFP News, some protesters burned Israeli and U.S. flags, while others poured red and green smoke into the air.

During Raphael's dress rehearsal Thursday, six whistles and Palestinian flags hindered her behavior and were then ejected by the venue.

Raphael survived the attack on Israel at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, killing hundreds of people.

The singer hid a pile of corpses under a pile of corpses for eight hours until she was rescued.