Aaron Bushnell said he would “no longer be complicit in genocide” before setting himself on fire outside the prison Israeli embassy In USA, during the live broadcast via the Twitch platform. Chanting “Liberate Palestine,” the American soldier ended his life in a self-described “extreme act of protest.”
After the flames were extinguished, the 25-year-old was taken to hospital in critical condition. However, he did not manage to survive. According to the BBC, Bushbell had previously sent emails to several journalists in which he stated the following:
“Today I plan to carry out an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people,” the email said, warning that doing so would be “extremely disturbing.”
Bushnell was born in Texas but grew up in Massachusetts. According to local reports, he attended public schools on the Cape Cod Peninsula. Photo: The Independent
Bushnell was born in Texas but grew up in Massachusetts. According to local reports, he attended public schools on the Cape Cod Peninsula. The soldier said he graduated from Air Force basic training at the top of his class in November 2020. According to the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, the young man had reached the rank of senior airman.
Israel-Hamas war
The War between Israel and HamasTo date, the conflict in the Palestinian territories has claimed 30,000 lives in almost five months.
That clash was triggered on October 7 when Islamist commandos killed about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 250 in southern Israel, according to an estimate based on official Israeli data.
In retaliation, Israel launched a massive air and ground offensive against Palestinian territory.
More than 70% of Gaza's 2.4 million residents have been displaced by the war and the population is facing famine, the UN says. In Israel, attention remains focused on the victims of the October 7 Islamist attack, particularly the fate of the 130 kidnapped hostages still in the hands of Hamas, 30 of whom are reported to have died.
At the end of November, a week-long ceasefire enabled the exchange of a hundred hostages for 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Although Hamas' health ministry does not disclose the number of deaths among its fighters, the Israeli army estimates them at around 10,000 and puts its own casualties in the offensive at 240. The civilian casualties also include journalists working in Gaza to over to report the war.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 88 media workers have died since October 7th. Gaza has become a place of constant mourning.
With information from AFP.