Croatian pilgrims sing patriotic song on Sea of Galilee

Croatian pilgrims traveling through Israel sparked social media debate after singing a patriotic song during a religious pilgrimage. A video posted by the Catholic web community Rafael shows the group singing ‘Ako ne znaš šta je bilo’ by Marko Perković Thompson and Hrvatskih Ruža while sailing on the Sea of Galilee.

The pilgrimage, which took place from February 3 to February 10, 2026, was intended to visit significant Christian sites. While the trip was described as an opportunity to deepen faith and connect with Christian tradition, the choice of a song strongly associated with Croatian national identity and the Homeland War drew mixed reactions on TikTok.

Commenters were divided; some praised the pilgrims, while others criticized the choice of music in a spiritual setting. The video also drew comments related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.