In this image taken from video, police are deployed outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Feb 25, 2024, after an active-duty member of the US Air Force was critically injured after setting himself ablaze outside the diplomatic compound. (PHOTO / AP)
WASHINGTON — A US military service member set himself on fire, in an apparent act of protest against the war in Gaza, outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
The man was transported to an area hospital after the fire was put out by US Secret Service officers, DC Fire and EMS posted online. The man remains in critical condition, a Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson said Sunday afternoon. An Air Force spokesperson confirmed that the incident involved a active duty airman.
The protests started after Oct 7 when Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that rules Gaza, killed 1,200 Israelis and seized 253 hostages in a cross-border attack
"I will no longer be complicit in genocide," said the man, wearing military fatigues, in a video he broadcasted live over the internet, according to the New York Times.
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He then doused himself in a clear liquid and set himself on fire, screaming "Free Palestine," the Times reported.
Local police and Secret Service are investigating the incident.
Israel's embassy has been the target of continued protest against the war in Gaza. The war in Gaza has led to pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests in the United States. The protests started after Oct 7 when Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that rules Gaza, killed 1,200 Israelis and seized 253 hostages in a cross-border attack.
Since then, Israeli forces have waged a military campaign against the coastal enclave, laying much of it to waste, with nearly 30,000 people dead, according to Palestinian health officials.
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In December, a protester set herself on fire outside the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta.
