Yuval Vagdani, the IDF soldier who was targeted by the antisemitic terror-supporting Hind Rajab Foundation in Brazil, returned to Israel on Wednesday. In his first interview in Israel with Kan, Vagdani said: “I’m okay, a bit down, kind of feels like a stab to my heart. I had planned this trip for four years. I was supposed to fly in January 2024 and that didn’t work out.” Vagdani, a survivor of the Nova massacre and a reservist, landed in Brazil on December 24. “After a period of reserve duty and after being in Nova, I wanted my dream trip. I was in the best place of my life with my friends. I thanked Hashem for every moment there.” Everything changed on January 4. “I woke up in the morning, turned on my phone, and suddenly saw eight missed calls – from the Foreign Ministry, my brothers, my mother, consuls,” he recalled. “They called from the Foreign Ministry, and we began to understand that there was an issue.” “They [the HRF] wrote that I murdered thousands of children and turned it into a 500-page document. The only thing there was a picture of me in uniform in Gaza.” The escape from Brazil was not simple. “I reached passport control in Salvador [Brazilian city] and saw through the window that the clerk had received a message from the police. They delayed me there in Salvador, which is considered the most pro-Palestinian city in Brazil, and I just davened to Hashem.” Fortunately, he was not arrested and made it to Argentina, then the US, and then to Israel. “We are all excited that he returned home safely,” said Itzik, Yuval’s father, as reported by Ynet. “He will never return to Brazil again,” Itzik said. “He will learn from the mistakes he made [posting videos of himself in Gaza on social media]. The main thing is that he has now returned to Israel and we are all happy that everything is behind us. Am Yisrael Chai. We’re strong and we’ll prevail.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)