Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel once again took to social media to address the ongoing conflict in Gaza. His comments, however, sparked a wave of outrage among users who criticized his apparent disregard for the severe humanitarian crisis afflicting the Cuban populace.
The president wrote on his Facebook page, "Women and children continue to die in #Gaza due to cold and flooding that the tents cannot withstand. This is a result of the destruction caused by Israeli bombs and the genocide carried out with impunity by the Zionist regime of Israel against the Palestinian people," accompanying his post with a photo of a flooded camp.
Nonetheless, the post was quickly flooded with replies accusing him of hypocrisy. Many Cubans reminded him that children and the elderly also perish on the island, but due to hunger, diseases, and a lack of medicine, while the regime continues to prioritize ideological propaganda.
"And in Cuba? When will you post about everything that's happening in Cuba?" asked one user; "I thought that picture was from my block, 3rd between 294 and 296"; "That looks like Eastern Cuba to me"; "In our country, people are dying from diseases and hunger, and you don't care"; "There are no bombs in Cuba, and it's worse than Gaza"; "Let's send this homeless man thousands of images from within Cuba itself"; "We aren't at war in Cuba, yet buildings collapse on us, garbage piles up, and we die from a lack of medicine," several netizens commented.
The overwhelming sentiment in the comments was one of frustration with the regime's perceived duplicity: while Díaz-Canel decries tragedies abroad, millions of Cubans endure a humanitarian emergency at home, with power outages, food shortages, and overwhelmed hospitals.
Díaz-Canel's Priorities and Cuba's Internal Crisis
Why did Díaz-Canel's comments about Gaza cause controversy?
Díaz-Canel's comments sparked controversy because many felt he was ignoring the severe humanitarian issues in Cuba, such as hunger and lack of medication, while focusing on the situation in Gaza.
What are some of the challenges facing Cubans according to the critics?
Critics highlighted issues such as widespread hunger, disease, medicine shortages, and crumbling infrastructure, which are exacerbated by the Cuban regime's focus on ideological propaganda.