A 20-year-old man was in critical condition in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after publicly setting himself on fire the previous evening.
Fathi Harb's motives were not entirely clear, with his family believing he was in despair over the dire living conditions in Gaza. However, Hamas police blamed "internal family problems" for the incident.
Dozens of suicides were reported in Gaza last year, and several cases of self-immolation have been reported in Gaza in the past, but this was the first time that such an incident was filmed and posted online.
In the brief clip, Harb is seen already ablaze in front of a residential building at night, with onlookers rushing to put out the fire with rugs and water.
His mother, Majda Harb, told The Associated Press Sunday that the previous day, her eldest son had said he was going to collect a work payment. But half an hour later, police came to her home saying he was in the hospital after having set himself on fire.
On Sunday, Harb was unconscious and breathing with the help of tubes in the intensive care unit of Gaza City's Shifa Hospital.
His mother said she did not know for sure what had led Harb to hurt himself. She said he and his wife were expecting their first child soon and he was feeling powerless in the face of the harsh economic situation in Gaza.
"What can a man do when his wife is giving birth and he has no money for a doctor, diapers or milk?" she said.
Harb worked at any job that paid, his mother said. Most recently, he worked as a waiter at a wedding and was on his way to collect his pay, about $14, when he set himself on fire.
The head of the hospital's burns unit, Nafez Abu Shaban, said Harb suffered second- and third-degree burns over almost half of his body and also serious injuries from smoke inhalation.
"He is in a very risky, critical condition," Abu Shaban said.
Hamas, which rules Gaza with a tight fist and is categorized as a terrorist group by the United States, Israel, and several other countries, has mostly dismissed allegations of political or economic motivations behind recent suicides. Hamas police were quoted by Palestinian media as blaming "internal family problems" for Harb's incident.
Gaza has been under blockade by Israel and Egypt since Hamas violently seized control of the territory in 2007. The blockade has devastated Gaza's economy, made it virtually impossible for people to enter and exit the territory, and left residents with just a few hours of electricity a day.
Furthering the misery is the internal Palestinian feud between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas. Palestinians have been split since the Hamas takeover, with Hamas ruling Gaza and Abbas governing the West Bank. Repeated reconciliation attempts have so far failed.
Abbas has tried to squeeze Hamas financially, hoping to force it to cede power. Measures have including cutting salaries of Hamas employees in Gaza.
Harb's grandfather, Said, blamed the blockade and the Palestinian divide for "killing the dreams of youths like Fathi."
