According to FEMS public information officer Vito Maggiolo, the incident occurred just before 1 pm on Sunday when they responded to a call about a person on fire. Upon arrival, they found an adult male who had been ablaze, with US Secret Service members having extinguished the flames.

The man was promptly transported to a local hospital for treatment of critical life-threatening injuries.

In response to the incident, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement acknowledging that an individual had set himself on fire near the Israeli embassy in Washington. The statement clarified that the individual was not previously known to the embassy before the self-immolation event.

Reports circulating on social media suggest that the individual, purportedly a former US Air Force Soldier in uniform, set himself ablaze outside the embassy to protest the ongoing Israeli actions in Gaza. Witnesses claim the individual identified himself as an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force and declared his refusal to be complicit in what he deemed as genocide, repeatedly shouting "Free Palestine" after igniting himself.

This act of self-immolation has garnered attention on social media platforms, sparking discussions and responses online regarding its significance as a form of protest.

Notably, this incident marks the second self-immolation outside an Israeli embassy in the United States, following a similar occurrence in December at the Israeli consulate in Atlanta. During that incident, a protester self-immolated, leaving behind a Palestinian flag, symbolizing opposition to Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip. (ILKHA)