A member of the United States military, Aaron Bushnell, has committed suicide by setting himself ablaze outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC.
Reports revealed that Bushnell killed himself in the incident that happened on Sunday to protest against Israel’s devastating war on Gaza.
The US capital’s fire department said the 25-year-old was rushed to the hospital with “critical life-threatening injuries”.
According to the agency, the emergency responders rushed to the scene just before 18:00 GMT in response to a “call for person on fire outside the Israeli embassy”.
When they arrived at the scene, the officers from the US Secret Service had already extinguished the fire.
Before setting himself on fire, Bushnell had filmed himself shouting “Free Palestine” as he lit himself on fire, according to footage shared on social media.
Media reports added Bushnell live-streamed himself on Twitch, declaring he would “not be complicit in genocide” before dousing himself in liquid.
An Air Force spokeswoman reported on Monday morning that the “individual involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night.”
The US Air Force confirmed the incident involved an active duty airman.
The police also said explosive ordinance disposal was requested at the scene with a suspicious vehicle that may be connected to the individual. It later said that no hazardous material was found.
Meanwhile, the Israeli embassy said all of its staff members were safe, a spokesperson told the New York Times.
Israeli forces have occupied Gaza unleashing an attack on the Palestine population following the October 7 unprecedented assault by Hamas.
The Palestinian group that rules Gaza, killed 1,200 Israelis and seized 253 hostages in a cross-border attack.
Since then, Israeli forces have waged a military campaign against them, laying much of it to waste, with nearly 30,000 people dead.
