Miss Israel Admits She Received Death Threats After Viral Video Circulating

Miss Israel, Melanie Shiraz (Photo: Instagram/@melanieshiroz)

JAKARTA - Miss Israel, Melanie Shiraz admitted that she was flooded with death and rape threats after the video that was allegedly edited went viral. The video shows as if she was looking sharply at Miss Palestine, Nadeen Ayoub during the Miss Universe competition in Bangkok, Thailand.

A 27-year-old woman said a wave of hate comments began arriving just hours after the video went viral. Many people thought he gave Ayoub a cynical look on stage.

"I don't know if the recording was edited or not, but it looks like the video has been cut and arranged in such a way that it looks like I'm the only one looking like that," he told Fox News Digital.

According to him, his social media was immediately filled with hate comments along with video clips that made him seem to be standing right next to Miss Palestine.

"At first I thought it was made by AI, but it turned out that the video came from another camera with a very deceptive angle," he said.

Shiraz admitted that he was ready to accept criticism for representing Israel, but did not expect to receive comments that mentioned Hitler's name to the threat of murder. He described the contents of these messages as very rude and disturbing.

Some wrote they wanted to rape and kill me to wish me the same fate as the hostages who were tortured. There are also those who write, 'die you dirty Jews', he said.

"I don't want to be too detailed, but that's very surprising," he added.

Shiraz added that he actually hopes to have a dialogue with Miss Palestine and take a group photo as a symbol of peace.

Graduates of the University of California, Berkeley with this MBA title previously worked in the technology sector in Israel and established a startup before entering the world of beauty pageants. He has been active in Israel's Jewish community and advocacy since college.

Controversy is heating up after Ayoub uploaded several photos from the event, where Shiraz appears to be in the background.

"I've asked him to delete the photos. He only deleted one or two, not all of them," said Shiraz.

He also felt that there were irregularities when he saw a cameraman who kept pointing the camera at Ayoub and he was right behind him.

"It looks like they are communicating with each other, and that's quite a surprise for me," he said.

Despite being under great pressure, Shiraz remained steadfast.

"Being a Jew and an Israeli at this time is very difficult. Whatever we do, there is always hatred," he said.

"But it makes me more confident that what I'm doing is important and I have to stay focused," he added.

The 74th Miss Universe competition which was attended by 121 participants is still ongoing in Thailand, with the final scheduled for Friday, November 21, 2025.

"I'm very excited to represent Israel. After this competition, I want to focus on Israeli advocacy and various good goals. Every day I try to give my best, although sometimes it doesn't feel enough to open everyone's hearts. But it won't." he concluded.