US airman who set himself on fire outside Israeli embassy dies | Israel War on Gaza News

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Aaron Bushnell yelled “Free Palestine!” after he lit himself on fire and fell to the ground.

A US military service member who had set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, in an apparent act of protest against Israel’s war in Gaza, has died, the Pentagon said.

The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department said on Monday.

Over the weekend, US media reports said Bushnell live streamed himself on Twitch, wearing fatigues and declaring he would “not be complicit in genocide” before dousing himself in liquid.

He then lit himself on fire while yelling “Free Palestine!” until he fell to the ground. The footage has since been removed from Twitch.

The latest incident comes amid ongoing pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests in the United States following the Hamas October 7 attack on Israel, which has killed 1,200 Israelis and seized 253 hostages in a cross-border attack.

Since then, Israel’s embassy has been the target of continued protest against the Israeli war on Gaza.

In December, a protester set herself on fire outside the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta. A Palestinian flag was found at the scene, and the act was believed to be one of “extreme political protest”.