After losing several close friends in battle, he chose to travel through South America in early 2026, hoping the distance would help him process the trauma of war.
By Hezy Laing
When Adi Karni completed months of reserve duty as a combat engineering soldier in Gaza and southern Lebanon, he expected the end of the war to bring a measure of peace.
Karni had been among the first IDF forces to enter the Gaza Strip, taking part in breaching operations, tunnel demolitions, and evacuations under fire.
After losing several close friends in battle, he chose to travel through South America in early 2026, hoping the distance would help him process the trauma of war.
Instead, he found himself navigating a new kind of danger: targeted harassment and attempted arrests driven by anti‑Israel activists abroad.
Karni reported that during his travels he faced threats or attempted detentions in Mexico, Peru, Brazil, and Dubai.
According to his account, activists had circulated his military photos online, accusing him of war crimes and pressuring local authorities to detain him.
In one instance, the Israeli Foreign Ministry contacted him directly, warning that his name had appeared on lists circulated by hostile organizations and advising him to leave the country immediately.
Karni described the experience as “a price on my head,” a feeling echoed by other reservists who have faced similar ordeals.
His case is not isolated.
In 2024, Golani Brigade reservist Yehuda Cohen was briefly detained in Madrid after student groups filed a complaint based on photos from his social media profile.
Cohen later said that Spanish police apologized but warned him that activist networks were monitoring Israeli travelers.
In 2025, paratrooper Lior Ben‑Shushan was confronted at a hostel in Buenos Aires after activists recognized his unit insignia and circulated his name on local WhatsApp groups, forcing him to cut his trip short.
That same year, naval reservist Daniel Mizrahi was questioned at Copenhagen Airport after an NGO submitted a dossier accusing him of participating in naval blockades; Danish authorities released him within hours but advised him to avoid public political demonstrations during his stay.
For Karni, the experience transformed him from a soldier into an advocate.
After returning home, he traveled to universities in the United States, including Boston and New York, to speak publicly about Hamas’s use of hospitals, schools, and civilian infrastructure for military purposes and to counter accusations of genocide leveled at IDF personnel.
He described these encounters as emotionally charged but necessary, insisting that the battle for truth and legitimacy continues long after the battlefield has gone quiet.
Karni’s story, and those of other reservists, highlights a new reality: for many Israeli soldiers, the war does not end when the uniform comes off.
