US Air Force member, Aaron Bushnell, set himself on fire on Sunday, February 25 outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, to protest the mass killings in Gaza.
While the Pentagon has called the incident a “tragic event”, it reasserted its “ironclad” backing of Israel.
Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said Washington is still committed to the goals it had set out at the start of the war, which, it says, is supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, releasing Israeli captives and preventing the conflict from spreading.
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The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries in hospital.
With the death toll in Gaza nearing 30,000, according to the health ministry there, international pressure has been increasing on the United States to rein in its ally Israel and call for a ceasefire.
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