Day: February 25, 2024

WASHINGTON — A man set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

The unidentified man was transported to an area hospital after the fire was put out by U.S. Secret Service officers, D.C. Fire and EMS posted online. The man is in critical condition, a Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson said.

Local police and Secret Service are investigating the incident.

The Israeli Embassy has been the target of continued protests amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The war in Gaza has led to pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests in the United States.

The protests started after Oct. 7 when Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that rules Gaza, killed 1,200 Israelis and seized 253 hostages in a cross-border terror attack.

Since then, Israeli forces have waged a military campaign against the coastal enclave, laying much of it to waste, with nearly 30,000 people dead, according to Palestinian health officials.