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DEATH TOLL IN GAZA: 29,000+

DEATH TOLL IN ISRAEL: 1,410+

I want to inform you ahead of reading, that I am NOT taking sides on this conflict. This is merely just to inform everyone of the general situation in Gaza and Israel. In no way is this choosing a side for ALLIANCE MIT either as a whole.

The conflict particularly started on Oct. 7, 2023, and has still been a battle as of Feb. 21, 2024, following journalists in the Gaza Strip like Bisan and the General News like PBS Newshour, you will find tons of different takes and information on the battle from the inside and out. People from both sides have been lost and it's horrible in a world conflict like this when innocent lives are lost, families, children, and people on the front. Wishes go out to all the lives lost that they're finding their way and prayers are sent to the families. More updates and information to come.

"Many of us like to ask ourselves, 'What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?' The answer is, you're doing it. Right now."

- Aaron Bushnell's final message on facebook.

I am attempting to write this report from a non-biased perspective, as to not speak on the behalf of ALLIANCE MIT or my peers.

On 12:58 PM during the 25th of February, 2024, a livestream began on Twitch.

Aaron Bushnell, a 25 year old United States Air Force serviceman under active duty, set his camera down in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., setting himself on fire while repeatedly shouting "Free Palestine!" as a protest against the United States' support for Israel in the Israel-Hamas war. After being extinguished by police officers, he was transported to a local hospital and lost his life to the burn injuries.

Bushnell's actions have sparked a wide variety of responses from many people inside and outside the United states, both with and against his actions.

In Portland, Oregon, a vigil was held outside the Wyatt Federal Building where multiple veterans lined up to burn their uniforms in front of a banner saying "Veterans say: Free Palestine! Remember Aaron Bushnell".

Others are claiming that Bushnell's death was unnecessary and the self-immolation was an act caused by mental illness, going much too far.