A man set himself on fire this Sunday in front of the
Israeli embassy in Washington
and this afternoon remained hospitalized in critical condition, the Fire and Rescue Service of the United States capital reported.
"Upon arrival, we found an adult, apparently a man, who had previously been found engulfed in flames;
the fire was extinguished by
plainclothes secret service agents," reported a member of the fire team, according to the Sputnik news agency. .
Emergency medical services and fire authorities reported that the incident occurred this afternoon, cited the American newspaper The Independent.
The Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post detailed that emergency medical services and firefighters from the American capital arrived at the scene at 1:00 p.m. local time, in response to a call made from the embassy.
There, they found the man outside the embassy with serious injuries due to burns.
Firefighters added that
the man was taken to hospital in critical condition
, with life-threatening burns.
The man arrived unconscious at the hospital and it was unknown if he had regained consciousness, the district's fire department told the American digital newspaper The Hill.
Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Walla indicated that no member of the embassy staff was injured.
A man set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in the United States.
AFP Photo
According to a statement issued by Israel's Foreign Ministry, the embassy did not know the man, the Times of Israel newspaper reported.
The causes of the incident are still under investigation.
Protests against the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip and US military aid to Israel are often organized in Washington.
On October 7, the Palestinian movement Hamas led
an attack on more than 20 Israeli communities
, causing about 1,200 deaths and nearly 5,500 injuries and capturing about 240 hostages, of whom about 100 were released weeks later in prisoner exchanges.
In retaliation,
Israel declared war on Hamas
and began a bombing campaign on Gaza, which has so far left more than 29,600 Palestinians dead and more than 69,800 injured, mostly women and children.
Likewise, Israel imposed a total blockade on the Palestinian enclave, cutting off the supply of water, food, medicine, electricity and fuel.