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by Mick the Ram

In a shocking incident, a serving US Air Force member set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in the US capital of Washington DC.

The horrific action was committed as an extreme act of protest, seemingly against what he was heard to call the “genocide” occurring in Gaza.

DC Fire department responded to the situation that developed at around 1 pm local time on Sunday 25 February, reporting that the individual involved is now in a critical condition after being taken to a nearby hospital, with life threatening injuries.

The department were later able to identify the man as 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell, thought to be an airman based in Texas.

He appeared to have filmed the protest and livestreamed it on the social media platform Twitch, with graphic footage showing him yelling “I will no longer be complicit in genocide”.

The Washington police department is investigating alongside the Secret Service and other relevant authorities.

In a statement by the Israeli foreign ministry, they confirmed that the man was not known to them and no embassy staff members had been injured.

Protests against Israel have become a near-daily occurrence across the country since the Israelis began their campaign in Gaza, and despite international calls for a humanitarian cease-fire growing in recent weeks, the crisis has deepened further.

Filming the incident himself

In the alarming video which lasts for around three minutes, Mr Bushnell stands in front of the embassy gates and follows up his “genocide” comment by declaring: “I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest”. A voice can be heard asking the question: “Hi, sir, can I help you?”

Ignoring the inquiry, the serviceman proceeds to keep his phone down to film himself pouring a clear liquid from a metal bottle and setting himself alight. He can also be heard to shout: “Free Palestine!” as he stood in flames, before falling to the ground.

Scramble to put out the flames

Law enforcement officers, later confirmed to be members of the uniformed division of the US Secret Service, approached the man and scrambled to extinguish the fire, which took the best part of a minute.

The video was removed from Twitch later in the afternoon and replaced with a message stating that the channel violated their guidelines.

Bomb disposal team called

Initially an explosive ordnance disposal unit was sent to the site over concerns about a suspicious vehicle that could have been connected to the individual. This was later declared safe after no hazardous materials were discovered.

Growing calls for humanitarian cease-fire

Protests are gathering pace as the campaign to eradicate Hamas – ordered by Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the terror group’s attack back on 7 October last year – continues to take a huge toll on civilian lives in the Gaza Strip.

Over 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in a little over four months, as the retaliatory action intensifies. Widespread starvation, disease and exhausted medical resources have shocked the watching world, and prompted repeated demands for a humanitarian cease-fire.

No let up

Mr Netanyahu for his part has flatly denied the allegations pointing towards genocide, saying that their actions were fully in accordance with international law.

Indeed, he is now said to be seeking his cabinet’s approval to expand still further a ground offensive, taking troops into the southern city of Rafah, which would inevitable cost more innocent lives.

Repeat of previous action

This latest incident is not the first time somebody has set fire to themselves on American soil in front of an Israeli diplomatic building.

In December 2023, a protester did the very same at the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, Georgia. The female objector also called it an act of “extreme political protest” as she doused herself in petrol. On that occasion a Palestinian flag was found at the scene