Bethlehem man wounded after self-immolation attempt

A 52-year-old man from Bethlehem threatened on Wednesday to set himself on fire due to his bad health and financial situation. Ahmad Ayesh, from Irtas village, told Ma’an he suffers from bad health and serious financial problems. Ayesh said he went to the Bethlehem Governorate's Office on Wednesday to request medical treatment and a job opportunity in order to live a decent life, carrying bottle of gasoline with him. He said he intended to set himself on fire outside the governorate's office if officials did not offer him any solutions. According to Ayesh, he was offered no resolutions, and planned to go forward with his plan of self immolation. However, security forces stopped him before he could begin his self immolation. He suffered bruises to the head from the incident. The Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance transferred him to Beit Jala governmental hospital. Farid al-Atrash, the director of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights in the southern West Bank, told Ma’an that Ahmed Ayesh filed a complaint about what happened to him, and said the commission will follow up with Ayesh and his case.