War Protests, US Soldiers Burn Themselves Outside The Israeli Embassy In Washington

Illustration. (Unsplash/David von Diemar)

JAKARTA - A US military member set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC on Sunday afternoon, in protest against the war in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, authorities said.

A spokesman for the United States Air Force confirmed that the incident involved an active pilot.

"I will no longer be involved in genocide," said the man wearing the military uniform in a video live via the internet, according to the New York Times.

He then watered himself with clear fluids and burned himself, shouting "Free Palestine."

As a result of the incident, the soldier was rushed to the hospital after the fire was successfully extinguished by the Washington DC fire department, Secret Service, and Emergency Medical Services.

The man is still in critical condition, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Department said on Sunday afternoon.

Local police and the Secret Service are investigating the incident.

The Israeli Embassy itself continues to be the target of protests against the war in Gaza. The war in Gaza has sparked pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests in the United States.

The protests began after October 7 when Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls Gaza, killed 1,200 Israelis and held 253 people hostage in cross-border attacks.

Since then, Israeli forces have launched a military campaign against the coastal enclave, destroying most of the region.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Sunday that 86 Palestinians were killed and 131 injured in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed in the region to 29,692 and 69,879 others injured, as quoted by Anadolu.

In December, a protester set himself on fire outside the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta.