Aaron Bushnell yelled ‘Free Palestine!’ then lit himself on hearth close to the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC.
A member of america air drive who had set himself on hearth exterior the Israeli embassy in Washington in an obvious protest in opposition to Israel’s conflict in Gaza has died, the Pentagon says.
The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell of San Antonio, Texas, died from his accidents, the Metropolitan Police Division of Washington, DC, mentioned on Monday.
US media experiences mentioned Bushnell livestreamed himself on the social media platform Twitch carrying fatigues and declaring he would “not be complicit in genocide” earlier than dousing himself in liquid on Sunday.
He then lit himself on hearth whereas yelling “Free Palestine!” till he fell to the bottom. The footage has since been faraway from Twitch.
In a press release, the air drive mentioned on Monday: “The individual involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night.”
The air drive mentioned it could present extra data a day after army officers full notifying his subsequent of kin.
The incident comes as protests in opposition to Israel’s conflict on Gaza proceed throughout the US.
In December, a protester set herself on hearth exterior the Israeli consulate in Atlanta. A Palestinian flag was discovered on the scene, and the act was believed to be one among “extreme political protest”.
Israel launched an assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters attacked Israel on October 7, killing at the very least 1,139 individuals and seizing about 250 as hostages.
Since these assaults, Israel has bombarded the Palestinian territory from air, land and sea and launched a floor invasion. Greater than 29,000 individuals have been killed within the Israeli assault, in response to Palestinian authorities.
Israel’s marketing campaign in Gaza has left a lot of the territory in ruins and displaced greater than 80 p.c of its inhabitants.