The security guard who protected Taylor Swift during the summer leg of her Eras Tour has returned to his homeland, Israel, to fight for his country against Hamas operatives. He flew back to the Middle East and joined the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) reserves after seeing Hamas’s deadly attacks on Israeli citizens. He left the United States after the first strike on October 7. According to The Independent, the unnamed bodyguard who went viral for his attentiveness while escorting Swift into and out of her concerts decided that he couldn’t watch from afar as civilians were massacred. He condemned the violence and called on people worldwide to stand with Israel.
His decision to join the IDF was met with a wave of support on social media, and he has now written on Facebook that he feels “privileged to be part of defending our land” from the terrorists. He says he had a “pretty good life” in the US and “had a dream job,” but he couldn’t sit by and watch his home being bombed. “I couldn’t stand by and see families slaughtered and burned alive in their homes,” he writes. “The fact that the other side is using innocent civilians as human shields and attacking them in hospitals, schools, and other public places – is something I can’t comprehend. Those are not animals!”
The guard, born at an Israeli kibbutz, has worked in America for the past few years. An Israeli journalist, Eran Swisa, broke the news of his return to Israel and joining the IDF reserves. He reportedly told Variety that he was hired directly by Swift or her tour stadiums and wouldn’t say whether either of them still employed him.
He adds that the decision to return to Israel is a “personal matter” and that no one in his family pressured him. He is one of thousands who have joined the IDF since the escalation in the Middle East started on October 7 and has left a six-figure job to defend his country.
Fans have been criticizing Swift for not using her platform of 274million followers to speak out about the situation in the Middle East and call on others to donate to charities helping the victims. Gigi Hadid, a fellow fashion star and friend of Swift’s, has spoken out about the violence and even held a fundraiser for those in need.
Meanwhile, Swift has been busy promoting her latest movie, “The Favourite,” which is currently at the top of the box office. She attended a football game to cheer on her rumored boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and was seen holding his hand in paparazzi photos at a recent concert. She’s also been promoting her blockbuster Eras Tour film, which hit theaters this weekend. Whether she’ll have time to address the current conflict between Israel and Hamas is still being determined.
