An active duty Air Force member has died after setting himself on fire over the “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, the Metropolitan Police Department said 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C.
According to the Associated Press, Bushnell arrived outside the embassy around 1 p.m. on Sunday and started a live stream on Twitch.
He then reportedly lit himself on fire and was heard saying something about not being “complicit in genocide.”
The Air Force said in a statement, “The individual involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night.”
The incident comes as Israel is preparing to invade the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip as its war against Hamas drags on, even amid negotiations over a potential ceasefire.
“It has to be done,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
He added, “Because total victory is our goal, and total victory is within reach.”
Bushnell’s comment about genocide comes as Israel has faced heavy criticism for the death toll in Gaza.
The Hamas-run health agency in Gaza says 28,000 people have been killed in the war. It claims, though the numbers have yet to be corroborated by outside authorities, that 70% of those deaths are women and minors.
Israeli officials have fiercely pushed back on claims it is carrying out a genocide in Gaza as it notes Hamas operates in dense, urban areas.
Hamas has also used civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, as command centers. U.S. intelligence agencies also believe Hamas used the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza to hold hostages.
The war comes after Hamas launched an unprovoked attack on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 more hostages at the time.
