Three foreign nationals from Israel were expelled from a gym in Ubud, Gianyar Regency, Bali, after the owner said one of them had behaved rudely towards staff.
The incident was recorded and shared on social media, where it attracted attention after the gym owner was heard questioning the men about their nationality and whether they served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
In a video uploaded by the Instagram account @GAZAUPDATE, the owner is seen confronting one of the men before asking all three to leave the premises.
“Do you serve in the IDF? I’m not going to discuss it. You aren’t even allowed in this country. And be grateful, because I’m not involving the police,” the owner says in the video, as reported by detikBali on Wednesday (19 August 2026).
The owner also made clear that he did not want to continue the discussion and instead instructed the three men to leave the gym.
Gym Owner Provides Clarification
The gym owner was identified as Samir, 32. Following the circulation of the video, he posted a follow-up video to explain his account of what happened.
Samir said the incident began when the three men arrived at the gym. According to him, one of the men behaved rudely towards members of staff.
“When I asked, they said they were Israeli. So, I told them we don’t serve Israelis. We also don’t serve anyone who is rude to our staff. You have to respect the locals who work hard,” Samir said in his clarification.
Samir said he approached the group after receiving a report from his staff. He asked about the incident and their nationality, after which he said he learned that they were Israeli.
A separate video posted by the Instagram account @filaasteni showed the gym owner explaining the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.
“These three gentlemen came to our gym, and one of them was very rude to our staff,” the gym owner said in the video, as cited on Wednesday (19 August).
The owner then questioned the men about their alleged connection to the IDF. He also claimed that they had entered Indonesia using passports from countries other than Israel.
“You guys are not even allowed to be in this country, man. You come with a different passport,” he said.
The gym owner also referred to the conduct of Israeli soldiers and said his decision was based on his personal moral principles.
“You guys serve in the IDF, so you kill babies. So I don’t… I don’t discuss. That’s one thing. I have my morals; that’s it, that’s it,” he stated.
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Owner Responds to One-Star Review
Samir said the three men later left a one-star review for the gym on Google. According to him, the review accused him of racism and alleged that the men had been expelled because of their religion.
Samir rejected that characterisation and said his comments had been about nationality and alleged military affiliation rather than religion.
“I spoke about Israelis and the IDF, not religion. But they always frame it as a religious issue. Fortunately, we recorded everything because I knew they would lie,” he asserted.
He also reiterated that he did not want to serve people whom he believed were connected to the IDF, while maintaining that rude behaviour towards his staff was another reason for refusing service.
“I want to be very clear: we do not serve the IDF or anyone who is rude to our staff,” he emphasised.
The videos have since circulated widely on social media, with the incident prompting discussion about the interaction between the gym owner and the three foreign nationals.
