The New York Post published new details about American Air Force soldier Aaron Bushnell, who burned himself in front of the Israeli embassy in solidarity with Gaza, and quoted a friend of his that Bushnell told him that he had seen secret information indicating the presence of “American forces on the ground killing large numbers of Palestinians.”

According to what this close friend said - whose name the newspaper did not publish but said it had verified his relationship with the deceased - Bushnell (25 years old) informed him that he had a permit authorizing him to view US military intelligence data classified as “top secret.”

Bushnell was serving in the 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing of the US Air Force, which said he was working as an “Innovation Services Technician.”

His friend said, “His actual job involved processing intelligence data, some of which was related to the Israeli conflict in Gaza.”

He explained that Bushnell called him on the night of Saturday, February 24 - that is, hours before he set himself on fire on Sunday afternoon - and told him that some of the information he had seen indicated that "the American army is involved in the ongoing genocidal operations in Palestine."

He continued, "He told me that we have forces on the ground, and that they are killing large numbers of Palestinians."

He also mentioned that Bushnell spoke about American soldiers fighting in tunnels used by Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.

Bushnell set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington last Sunday, in a video recording that he broadcast live over the Internet, saying, "I will no longer be complicit in genocide."

He poured a burning liquid on himself - while wearing his military uniform - and then lit the fire while chanting, "Free Palestine." He died hours later from his burns.

American activists held several events to memorialize Bushnell, demanding an end to American support for genocide in Gaza.

Since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation carried out by the Palestinian resistance on October 7, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that left tens of thousands of killed and wounded, most of them children and women, and caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

Source: New York Post+ Aljazeera