A tragic incident occurred in Washington D.C. when a 25-year-old U.S. airman, Aaron Bushnell, set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy.
The act, which took place on Sunday, was accompanied by Bushnell shouting “free Palestine.” Secret Service officers managed to extinguish the fire and rushed Bushnell to the hospital, where he later passed away.
Prior to his self-immolation, Bushnell recorded videos expressing his intent, stating that he would no longer be complicit in what he described as genocide and that his act, though extreme, paled in comparison to the suffering endured by Palestinians at the hands of their colonizers.
Aaron Bushnell (Credits: The Independent)
He emphasized his protest against Israel’s actions in Gaza and U.S. support for Israel. The incident is part of a broader wave of global protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which escalated following the Oct. 7 assault by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The conflict has resulted in a significant loss of life, with thousands killed and wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza. Aaron Bushnell was originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and was stationed in San Antonio as a member of the U.S. Air Force.
He joined the Air Force in May 2020 and worked in information technology and development operations. Bushnell had expressed a desire to transition out of the Air Force and pursue a career in software engineering, as indicated on his LinkedIn page.
