December 28, 2023
photo: Sputnik
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has called the State of Israel “terrorist” and declared that it is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip with impunity.
“The genocide committed by the terrorist state of Israel in Gaza is a humiliation for all humanity. Until when is this impunity, until when is there a free hand to murder? Cuba, which will never be among the indifferent, raises its voice for Palestine again and again,” the Cuban leader posted on his X account.
On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing 1,200 people, wounding some 5,500 and taking approximately 240 hostages.
In response, Israel declared war on Hamas and launched a major assault on facilities in the Gaza Strip, including civilian ones, while completely blockading the Palestinian enclave and depriving it of water, food, medicine, electricity and fuel. On October 27, Israel launched a large-scale ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The bombing campaign has so far left more than 20,900 dead and more than 54,900 wounded in the Palestinian enclave. Over 70% of them are women and children. These figures do not take into account the thousands who are dead under the rubble.
From November 24 to December 1, 80 Israeli Hamas hostages, mostly women and children, were exchanged for 240 Palestinian prisoners without blood crimes during a humanitarian truce brokered jointly by Qatar, Egypt and the US.
In addition, Palestinian militias released nearly 30 more captives, mostly Thais living in Israel. Some 130 hostages are still being held captive in Gaza.
After the ceasefire expired, fighting resumed and the flow of humanitarian aid from Egypt to the southern part of the Palestinian enclave fell back to one-fifth of what Gaza received before the war, according to the United Nations.
Source: Cubadebate, translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English