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An Air Force member, identified as Aaron Bushnell from San Antonio, Texas, has died following an act of self-immolation outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, as a protest against the war in Gaza, according to police reports.
The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed the 25-year-old airman’s death, with an Air Force official saying that Bushnell succumbed to his injuries late Sunday night. The incident, which Bushnell broadcasted live on Twitch before the footage was removed, showed his protest against the ongoing war in Gaza, with him declaring he would “no longer be complicit in genocide.”
The self-immolation of Bushnell is not an isolated incident. A similar act occurred in December outside the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta, with the victim protesting over Israel’s “Genocide of Gaza.” Israel, facing accusations of genocide, has defended its operations as compliant with international law.
This all comes amidst talks of a temporary cease-fire in Gaza and as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks further military action in the region, specifically targeting the city of Rafah, which has become a refuge for over a million Palestinians.