A 25-year-old US Air Force member, Aaron Bushnell, died on Sunday after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC. He was protesting against what he called ‘genocide’ in Palestine.
He live-streamed his self-immolation on Twitch, saying he refused to be part of genocide and that his protest was nothing compared to what Palestinians suffer from their colonisers. He yelled ‘Free Palestine’ and poured a flammable liquid on himself.
US Secret Service agents put out the fire and took him to hospital, but he later succumbed to his injuries. The police checked a suspicious vehicle near the scene for explosives but found none. No one else was hurt.
The video, which Twitch has deleted, showed the man in a US Air Force uniform. The footage seemed to show a security officer pointing a gun at the man as he burned.
The police are investigating the incident and have a copy of the livestream video.
The embassy has faced protests since the Israel-Hamas war broke out last October. The militant group that rules Gaza killed around 1,200 people and abducted hundreds.
Israeli forces have slain over 29,000 Palestinians and wounded almost 70,000, according to Gazan health officials.
The actual death toll may be much higher, health officials say, because many Palestinians are buried under the debris and face ‘unthinkable’ risks of starvation and disease in the blockaded territory.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has sparked condemnation, including accusations of genocide against the Palestinians.
Israel has firmly rejected the genocide claims and says it is acting in line with international law in the Israel-Hamas war.
