WASHINGTON — An active-duty member of the US Air Force set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, on February 25 in an act of protest against Israel’s campaign of genocide in Gaza.
“I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” the man, identified as Aaron Bushnell, said during a Twitch livestream. “I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest,” he added before igniting himself. “Free Palestine!” Bushnell yelled until he fell to the ground.
Officers from the US Secret Service extinguished the fire outside the embassy. Bushnell was rushed to the hospital on Sunday with “critical life-threatening injuries,” where he reportedly passed away.
The US Air Force confirmed the incident involved an active duty airman.
Bushnell is the second US citizen since December to self-immolate outside an Israeli diplomatic building in an act of political protest.
Near-daily protests have rocked major US cities for the past several months as an increasing number of people in the West demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
At least 30,000 people have been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza since October 7, most of them women and children. The genocide of Palestinians has been facilitated with military and political support from the White House.
International organizations have warned that famine and disease will send the death toll soaring as Israeli protesters continue to block the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.
