An active member of the US Air Force set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington on Sunday, officials said, as media reported he was protesting the war in Gaza.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene just before 1:00 pm in response to a call for a person on fire outside the Israeli Embassy. They arrived to find that officers from the Secret Service had already extinguished the fire.
The man was transported to a hospital with critical life-threatening injuries, the fire department said.
An Air Force spokesperson confirmed he was an active member of the Air Force but gave no further details.
A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy said no staff were injured in the incident, and the man was unknown to them.
US media reported that the man apparently livestreamed himself on Twitch, wearing fatigues and declaring he will not be complicit in genocide before dousing himself in liquid.
The shocking act came as protests are increasing across the United States against Israel’s actions in Gaza. International pressure has been mounting on the United States to rein in its ally Israel and call for a ceasefire as the death toll in Gaza nears 30,000.
With tensions escalating, the incident outside the Israeli embassy starkly highlighted the deep divisions and intense emotions surrounding the conflict in the region.
