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The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) held the administration of US President Joe Biden responsible for the death of an American soldier who set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, denouncing the "genocide" carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip.
The movement said in a statement, "The Biden administration bears full responsibility for the death of US Army pilot Aaron Bushnell due to its policy that supported the Zionist entity in its war of extermination against our Palestinian people."
Hamas explained that Bushnell "gave his life to shed light on the Zionist massacres and ethnic cleansing against our people in the Gaza Strip."
The movement expressed its condolences and solidarity with the family and friends of the American pilot.
She said that the American pilot, Aaron Bushnell, immortalized his name as a defender of human values and the oppression of the Palestinian people suffering because of the American administration and its unjust policies, just as did the American activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed by an Israeli bulldozer in Rafah in 2003.
Hamas added that Rafah is the same city that Bushnell paid with his life to pressure his country's government "to prevent the criminal Zionist army from attacking it and committing massacres and violations there."
On March 16, 2003, American human rights activist Rachel Corrie confronted an Israeli massacre with her unarmed body, refusing to demolish the homes of citizens in Gaza, but she died under the massacre, becoming an icon of global solidarity with the people of Palestine.
The movement continued, "The heroic pilot Aaron Bushnell will remain immortal in the memory of our Palestinian people and the free people of the world, and a symbol of the spirit of global human solidarity with our people and their just cause."
She pointed out that the tragic accident that cost Pilot Bushnell his life is “an expression of the growing state of anger among the American people who reject their country’s policy that contributes to the killing and extermination of our people, and who reject their government’s violation of universal human values by providing cover to ensure the entity and its Nazi leaders escape from punishment and accountability.” .
Yesterday, Monday, Bushnell headed towards the Israeli embassy in Washington. Upon his arrival, he poured gasoline on his head and clothes, and set himself on fire while shouting “Freedom for Palestine” repeatedly until he stopped breathing. The Washington police later announced that he had died.
The 25-year-old American pilot - whose death was announced yesterday, Monday - documented the moment he set himself on fire via a live broadcast on the Twitch platform.
The Palestinian flag was placed in the background of the video, with the words “Free Palestine” written on it.
Before setting himself on fire, Bushnell said in front of the embassy, "I will organize a very violent protest now, but my protest is not large compared to what the Palestinians are experiencing at the hands of their occupiers."
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving tens of thousands of victims, most of them children and women, according to Palestinian and UN data, which led to Israel appearing before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing “genocide.”
Source: Al Jazeera + Anatolia