Set himself on fire
US soldier dies after protesting against Gaza war
February 26, 2024, 6:21 p.m
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It is a drastic form of protest: On Sunday, a US Air Force soldier set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy. He says he no longer wants to be “complicit in a genocide.” He is now succumbing to his serious injuries.
Apparently in protest against the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, a US Air Force soldier set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, thereby killing himself. The man died from his injuries in hospital, the US Department of Defense said. According to a video circulating on online networks, the man shouted “Liberate Palestine!” shouted as he set himself on fire.
According to the New York Times newspaper, the man dressed in a military uniform filmed the video himself and streamed it on the online platform Twitch. In it you can hear him saying that he no longer wants to be “complicit in a genocide.” He then pours liquid over himself and sets himself on fire, then falls to the ground.
The fire department said officers from the Secret Service security agency had extinguished the flames. The Secret Service is responsible for protecting embassies in the US capital.
According to authorities, the incident occurred around 1 p.m. local time on Sunday. The soldier then died that night. The Pentagon did not release the man’s name. The Israeli embassy said the man was unknown to them. None of their employees were injured in the incident.
Many protests against Israel in the USA
In the USA – as in many countries around the world – there are many protests against the massive attacks by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. Israel is reacting to the unprecedented major attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7th, in which fighters from the radical Islamic Palestinian organization committed numerous atrocities on Israeli territory, especially against civilians. According to Israeli information, around 1,160 people were killed and around 250 hostages were taken to the Gaza Strip.
According to Hamas figures, which cannot be independently verified, more than 29,700 people have since been killed in the Israeli army’s subsequent attacks in the Gaza Strip. Most of them are said to be women and children.