Taylor Swift’s bodyguard who protected her during the summer leg of her Eras Tour has returned to his homeland Israel to fight for his country against Hamas operatives. According to The Independent, the bodyguard, whose identity hasn’t been revealed, decided to fly back home and join the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) reserves after he saw the deadly attacks on Israeli citizens by Hamas. He left the United States after the first strike took place on October 7. 

The news first broke as Israeli journalist Eran Swisa spotted the security guard fighting in the IDF. Variety magazine later confirmed that the guard has indeed travelled to Israel in order to join the IDF reserves. Mr Swisa told the outlet that the man was born in a Kibbutz in Israel before he moved to America for work. 

“I got a pretty great life back in the US,” Ms Swift’s former security guard told Mr Swisa in a statement he shared with Variety. “I got an amazing dream job that I love, great friends that I call family and a very comfortable home. I didn’t HAVE to come here… But I could not stand on the sidelines while families are being slaughtered and burned alive in their homes!!! Just for being Jewish or for being Israelis,” the bodyguard added. 

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He also condemned Hamas operatives in his statement and urged others to stand with Israel. “While one side is protecting babies, kids and the elderly, the other side is using those as human shields!!! It’ll be an insult to animals worldwide to call them ‘animals’ but those are not human beings,” he said of Hamas.

“They killed and slaughtered families in their beds alongside family’s [sic] pets!!!! And then they burned the houses down!!!! Try to imagine that happening in your own neighborhood, to your next door neighbours or to a family you know,” the security guard added. 

Israel was caught off-guard by Hamas last weekend as the group attacked its civilians. In response, Israel also launched airstrikes on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and even stopped food and electricity supply to the region. 

On Tuesday, the Israeli military said that around 500,000 Israelis have been evacuated and displaced in the 10 days since Hamas unleashed the bloodiest attack in the country’s history. Israel’s airstrikes, on the other hand, have claimed at least 2,750 lives in Gaza.