Elderly woman set herself on fire in Israel

The woman, believed to be around 80, set herself on fire on Wednesday afternoon at her home in the city of al-Quds (Jerusalem), Xinhua reported.

The elderly woman has been hospitalized and is reported to be in serious condition with second and third degree burns covering approximately 20 percent of her body.

The circumstances of the incident are still unknown.

This is the fourth case of self-immolation in Israel since a 57-year old man set himself on fire during a “social protest” demonstrations in Tel Aviv in mid-July.

Moshe Silman, who died from his wounds a week after, criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a note, saying “the state of Israel robbed me out of everything and left me with nothing.”

Hours before Silmon’s funeral, a 45-year old disabled army veteran died after setting himself on fire in a bus stop in the city of Yehud about 15 kilometers east of Tel Aviv.

Prior to the protest move, Akiva Mafa’i read out a letter and accused the Israeli officials of “taking from the poor and giving to the rich.”

Hundreds of thousands of people marched and set up protest camps across the occupied Palestinian territories during the demonstrations last summer. Angry at the high costs of living and social inequalities, the protesters called for the resignation of Netanyahu.