US Airman dead after lighting himself on fire in an 'extreme' act of protest against the war in Gaza

• US Airman Aaron Bushnell lit himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in DC on Sunday.
• He said he was protesting "the genocide of the Palestinian people."

An active duty US Airman on Sunday died after he lit himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, in an act of protest against the war in Gaza.

Aaron Bushnell said in a live-streamed video on Twitch that his decision was to "protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people," according to a censored clip of the stream that was posted on X by independent journalist Talia Jane.

In the clip, Bushnell introduces himself as "an active duty member of the US Air Force," saying: "I will no longer be complicit in genocide."

The US isn't taking part in the fighting in Israel's invasion of Gaza, but is a strong ally to Israel and recently vetoed a United Nations motion calling for a cease-fire.

In the video, security and police were seen responding to Bushnell as he was engulfed in flames and screamed "Free Palestine."

While some responding officers attempted to put the fire out with extinguishers, others could be seen in the video standing nearby with guns drawn and calling for the man to get on the ground.

The US Air Force confirmed that the man was a genuine serviceman, per the military news site Task and Purpose. It did not confirm his name, though.

Bushnell died late Sunday, per reporting by Jane. Early on Monday, NBC News also reported the death, citing a US official.

NBC said that a formal notification would be made later, citing the need to formally notify Bushnell's family first.

The Department of Defense referred Business Insider to the Air Force when reached with a request for comment. The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.