US Air Force member sets self on fire as protest against 'genocide' in Palestine

A United States Air Force member set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, on Sunday, shouting "Free Palestine," CNN reported.

According to reports, the man, identified as Aaron Bushnell, was an active member of the US Air Force.

As per witnesses, he was live streaming on the social media platform Twitch, and after walking in on the spot, he set his phone down and doused himself in a fluid, setting it alight, declaring that he "will no longer be complicit in genocide," adding that what he is about to do is nothing in comparison to the suffering of Palestinians.

The US Air Force spokesman, Rose Riley, has confirmed the incident, saying, "I can confirm an active-duty airman was involved in today's incident."

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) reported that Bushnell is in serious condition and has been taken to the hospital. It shared that MPD, along with the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, will be looking into the matter.

The embassy has been the focus of protests by pro-Palestinian demonstrators calling for a ceasefire to the Israeli military genocide in Gaza, in which the death toll has reportedly passed 30,000 this week.