A tragic event unfolded in Washington DC when a US Air Force service member, Aaron Bushnell, succumbed to injuries after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy. The incident, which occurred on a Sunday, was an act of protest against the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Bushnell, who had been hospitalized in critical condition, passed away the same day he carried out the protest.
Before the fatal act, Bushnell expressed his condemnation of US support for Israel on social media. He questioned what one would do if confronted by historical injustices and equated his country’s current actions to being complicit in genocide. His final Facebook message stressed the gravity of the situation in Palestine and criticized the normalization of such actions by those in power. Furthermore, he recorded a video stating his reasons for the protest, emphasizing that his act paled in comparison to the suffering faced by Palestinians.
The 25-year-old veteran from San Antonio, Texas, live-streamed the incident on Twitch, reportedly shouting ‘Free Palestine’ before the video was removed from the platform. His death was later confirmed by the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington. The service member’s actions and subsequent death highlight the deep divisions and intense emotions tied to the conflict in Gaza.