Taylor Swift’s security guard reportedly returned to his home country, Israel, to help fight against Hamas. The bodyguard — whose name has not been released to the public — flew back to the Middle East during the country’s ongoing war, TMZ reported on October 16.
The outlet cited Israel Hayom’s Erin Swissa, who claimed that he said he “couldn’t stand by while families were slaughtered and burned alive in their homes.” Additionally, the guard strongly encouraged others to avoid “stand[ing] by and do[ing] nothing.”
“Don’t be on the wrong side of history,” Taylor’s guard reportedly said before referring to the brutality in Israel. “It would be an insult to animals around the world to call these terrorists ‘animals,’” he allegedly said.
The unidentified guard first garnered attention from Taylor’s fan base, the Swifties, over the summer during her Eras Tour. Following her performance in Kansas City, Missouri, fans praised him on social media for protecting her in the best manner. TMZ reported that one online user witnessed Taylor’s guard as he “scanned a thousand people in the crowd in six seconds, six seconds flat.”
A video posted via X circulated at the time, revealing the guard walking the 33-year-old singer near a crowd. As she waved and thanked them, her security assistant urgently looked over the large group of people while staying close to her.
“Now that’s LEGIT SECURITY GUARD EYES,” one X user tweeted in July, while another fan wrote that he was “doing such a good job.”
The conflict between Israel and Palestine has been going on for decades, but the tensions recently came to a head. Hamas — a local militant group that rules the Gaza Strip — mercilessly killed countless innocent civilians, many of whom were children. Earlier this month, music festival attendees and neighboring towns of Gaza were gunned down by the terrorists. Some were taken hostage, and dozens of Americans were also killed in the attacks.
Journalists and reporters have visited the impacted towns in Israel, where they’ve revealed the massacre. A handful of celebrities have also publicly reacted to the unspeakable violence. Most recently, Pete Davidson talked about it during his October 14 Saturday Night Live cold open.
“I saw so many terrible pictures this week of children suffering ― Israeli children, Palestinian children ― and it took me back to a horrible, horrible place,” Pete, 29, said while referring to his late father, a firefighter who was killed during the September 11 attacks in 2001. “You know, no one in this world deserves to suffer, especially not kids.”
Some public figures, however, have faced backlash for not speaking out about the terrorism. Kylie Jenner posted and promptly deleted a message in support of Israel after apparently facing criticism.