{"id":8829,"date":"2026-09-21T09:53:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T09:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/?p=8829"},"modified":"2026-09-21T09:54:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T09:54:49","slug":"cuba-gaza-and-the-human-cost-of-imperial-thirst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/cuba-gaza-and-the-human-cost-of-imperial-thirst\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuba, Gaza, and the Human Cost of Imperial Thirst"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Gaza, thousands of children have been killed amid the genocide that\u2019s being imposed by Israel with total impunity. Thousands of them are unaccounted for and buried beneath the rubble. In Cuba, millions of people have survived for years amid blackouts, shortages, difficulties accessing medicines, fuel scarcity, and a profound economic crisis imposed upon them by the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are different realities, but there is a question that connects them. One that should challenge the conscience of the international community: How much civilian suffering is the world willing to tolerate before taking action? It is an important question as the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly approaches.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Cuba, the government consistently denounces that U.S. sanctions and restrictions are worsening an already critical situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When fuel is scarce, the crisis ceases to be an abstraction. It enters people\u2019s homes. It enters the room where a child tries to do homework during a blackout. It enters the home where a mother fans her baby because the heat becomes unbearable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also enters the kitchen, where food begins to spoil; the hospital, where a patient needs medicine that does not arrive; and the life of a worker who does not know how they will get to work because public transportation is nearly paralyzed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Island in the Dark<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In mid-September, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodr\u00edguez Parrilla presented a report on the damage caused by the U.S. blockade between March 2025 and February 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rodr\u00edguez described months in which many families have lived with barely two or three hours of electricity a day, or even less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind those hours of blackouts lies much more than an energy statistic: there is a child whose sleep is interrupted, a grandfather left without television or radio, a student trying to concentrate without light, and a mother struggling to find a way to preserve food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blackouts disrupt the entire life of a family. The Cuban government maintains that the lack of fuel is one of the main factors behind the energy crisis and denounces that U.S. measures make it difficult to obtain the fuel and diesel needed for electricity generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also points out that the restrictions affect the acquisition of parts and equipment for thermoelectric power plants and hinder the expansion of renewable energy sources such as solar power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a Sanction Reaches a Hospital Bed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most painful dimensions of any sanctions policy is the one that does not immediately appear in the headlines: the way it ultimately affects a patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rodr\u00edguez stated that thousands of containers have been prevented from reaching Cuba because of the pressure and threats faced by shipping companies by the US government. The figure cited by the foreign minister exceeds 7,000 containers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To someone observing the situation from afar, a container may simply be a shipping unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a family, it may contain medicine. For a hospital, it may mean essential supplies. For a patient, it may represent the difference between receiving treatment on time and continuing to wait. And when that patient is a child, that wait can become unbearable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey Are Children, Not Numbers\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referring to the increase in infant mortality between 2018 and 2025, the Cuban foreign minister made a statement that should transcend any political debate: \u201cThey are children, not numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement matters because behind every mortality statistic there is a life that ended and a family that will carry that loss forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Palestinian children in the rubble of their community, foto: UN<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tragedy in Gaza and the Cuban crisis belong to different historical and political contexts; but they converge at their roots in a history of struggle and resistance against the imperial thirst of powerful nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The international community has condemned, debated, and voted for years on the U.S. blockade against Cuba. At the same time, the great powers have repeatedly demonstrated that their international decisions are shaped by political, economic, and strategic interests. And the same happens with the Palestinian cause and their constant outcry for their international recognition as a sovereign state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, families continue to live with the consequences. Both in Gaza and Cuba, a child dies everyday due to bombs or invisible sanctions. May the deaths of those children never become something to which we grow indifferent to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Resumen Latinoamericano \u2013 US<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Gaza, thousands of children have been killed amid the genocide that\u2019s being imposed by Israel with total impunity. Thousands of them are unaccounted for […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101011,"featured_media":8098,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8290,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/diaz-canel-says-cuba-will-not-accept-ignoring-genocide-against-palestinians\/","url_meta":{"origin":8829,"position":0},"title":"Diaz-Canel says Cuba will not accept ignoring genocide against Palestinians","author":"Editorial Team","date":"November 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Cuba's president has strongly condemned Israel\u2019s genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip and blamed Israel and the United States for 75 years of occupation and violating the \u201cinalienable\u201d rights of the Palestinians.","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2023-11-01-at-19.48.48.png?fit=590%2C442&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2023-11-01-at-19.48.48.png?fit=590%2C442&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2023-11-01-at-19.48.48.png?fit=590%2C442&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8473,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/cuba-subject-to-illegal-blockade-imposed-by-irish-authorities-in-defiance-of-irish-and-eu-law\/","url_meta":{"origin":8829,"position":1},"title":"Cuba subject to illegal blockade imposed by Irish authorities, in defiance of Irish and EU law.\u00a0","author":"Editorial Team","date":"June 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"In his last act of aggression against Cuba, former US president Trump added Cuba to a US list of so-called \u201cState Sponsors of Terrorism\u201d. Not a shred of credible evidence supported that decision. His successor, has retained the designation for reasons best known to his minders.\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3134-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3134-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3134-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3134-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_3134-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8459,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/why-israel-is-not-punished-but-cuba-is\/","url_meta":{"origin":8829,"position":2},"title":"Why Israel Is Not Punished But Cuba Is","author":"Editorial Team","date":"May 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Where is the logic? Cuba, a country that harms no one and sends more doctors around the world than the World Health Organization, has been harshly sanctioned for over 60 years. In contrast, the apartheid state of Israel is perpetrating genocide before our eyes, and yet, no economic sanctions are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuba-israel-def.png?fit=950%2C549&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuba-israel-def.png?fit=950%2C549&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuba-israel-def.png?fit=950%2C549&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/cuba-israel-def.png?fit=950%2C549&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5108,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/there-is-an-ongoing-war-against-the-people-in-cuba\/","url_meta":{"origin":8829,"position":3},"title":"There is an ongoing war against the people in Cuba","author":"Editorial Team","date":"August 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Manolo De Los Santos talks to Peoples Dispatch about the letter signed by 400 leaders from across the globe calling for US president Joe Biden to suspend unilateral coercive measures against Cuba July 24, 2021\u00a0by\u00a0Peoples Dispatch https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kzTRqvowwkQ&t=129s As Cuba faces the challenge of protecting its population from COVID-19 and dealing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/category\/news\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2021-08-19-at-23.07.26.png?fit=776%2C365&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2021-08-19-at-23.07.26.png?fit=776%2C365&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2021-08-19-at-23.07.26.png?fit=776%2C365&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2021-08-19-at-23.07.26.png?fit=776%2C365&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1731,"url":"https:\/\/www.cubasupport.ie\/latest\/un-calls-for-review-of-sanctions-imposed-on-countries-including-cuba\/","url_meta":{"origin":8829,"position":4},"title":"UN calls for review of sanctions imposed on countries, including Cuba","author":"Editorial Team","date":"May 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The UN emergency aid coordinator, Mark Lowcock, called for a review of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on countries, such as the U.S. blockade against Cuba. 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