On February 25, 2024, Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old serviceman of the United States Air Force, died after setting himself on fire outside the front gate of the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C.

Immediately before the act, which was live-streamed on Twitch, Bushnell said that he was protesting against "what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers" and declared that he "will no longer be complicit in genocide", after which he doused himself with a flammable liquid and set himself on fire.

[6][7] Bushnell's act was the second self-immolation protesting United States support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war, which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians[8] and resulted in a major humanitarian crisis.

[10][11] Others argued that Bushnell's suicide should not be praised or viewed as a legitimate form of political protest, warning about "copycats" who might imitate it.

[12] He attended Nauset Regional High School, and worked for a Brewster, Massachusetts-based Christian book, music, and video publishing company from 2015 to 2017.

[19] CrimethInc, an anarchist collective, claimed that Bushnell contacted it shortly before his suicide, asking it to "make sure that the footage is preserved and reported on".

[28][29] On February 25, 2024, 10:54 a.m. local time, the morning of his self-immolation, Bushnell had posted a message on Facebook: "Many of us like to ask ourselves, 'What would I do if I was alive during slavery?

"[30] He sent a message to media outlets: "Today, I am planning to engage in an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people.

"[4] At approximately 12:58 p.m. local time,[4] Bushnell, dressed in military fatigues,[30] approached the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., intending to immolate himself as an act of protest against the war in Gaza.

He had created a Twitch account[4] under the name "LillyAnarKitty" with a Palestinian flag as his profile banner and the caption "Free Palestine.

[39][40][41] The Secret Service, Metropolitan Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced they would investigate the incident.

[45][46][47] The day after Bushnell's death, Senator Bernie Sanders said, "It's obviously a terrible tragedy, but I think it speaks to the depths of despair that so many people are feeling now about the horrific humanitarian disaster taking place in Gaza, and I share those deep concerns.

"[48] On March 7, Senator Tom Cotton, who said that Bushnell committed an "act of horrific violence—in support of a terrorist group",[18] proposed two bills that would revoke the security clearances of people who express support for foreign terrorist organizations and codify by statute regulations that ban military service members from participating in protests.

[52][53] Graeme Wood of The Atlantic wrote "Stop Glorifying Self-Immolation: The tendency to celebrate and encourage this behavior, or even to be moved by it, strikes me as deeply sick.

"[54] Many who identified themselves as service members used gallows humor, such as calling him "the Airman a la Flambé", when discussing Bushnell online.

"[58] Hamas praised the act and expressed "heartfelt condolences" to the friends and family of Bushnell, announcing in a statement on Telegram that "he immortalised his name as a defender of human values and the oppression of the suffering Palestinian people because of the American administration and its unjust policies" and calling him a "heroic pilot".

[59][30] The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine released a statement honoring Bushnell, calling his suicide "the highest sacrifice.

[65] The Guardian argued that pro-Israel news outlets implied without evidence that Bushnell was mentally ill.[66] In The Hill's commentary series Rising, Briahna Joy Gray pointed out that The New York Times was treating Bushnell asymmetrically compared to its coverage of Irina Slavina, a Russian journalist who died by self-immolation protesting the Russian government in 2020.