AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The United States government has announced the delivery of an additional $6 million in assistance to Cuba, supplementing a previously declared $3 million aid package issued in January following Hurricane Melissa. The decision has drawn criticism for coinciding with the continued intensification of Washington’s decades-long economic embargo against Havana, which critics describe as an integral component of a broader policy of maximum pressure.
According to analysts critical of U.S. policy, Washington has simultaneously tightened energy and fuel restrictions since December while providing limited humanitarian aid, a strategy viewed as leveraging economic hardship to strengthen opposition groups, advance information campaigns, and push Cuba toward structural dependency. Observers have compared this approach to aid distribution mechanisms employed in the Gaza Strip, where humanitarian assistance has likewise been accused of serving political objectives.
Hurricane Melissa, which struck eastern Cuba in November last year, caused material damage but resulted in limited casualties. Reported figures indicate that while the storm caused more than 54 deaths in Jamaica, around 43 fatalities in Haiti, and four deaths in the Dominican Republic, only one fatality was recorded in Cuba. Analysts attribute the comparatively low death toll to government evacuation measures affecting more than 735,000 residents, an outcome critics argue received little international recognition.
At the same time, institutions including churches in Miami, Florida, stated that Cuba’s worsening economic conditions were a principal reason behind U.S. aid distribution—an assessment critics say aligns with Washington’s narrative portraying the Cuban government as ineffective.
Comparisons between Cuban and U.S. disaster responses have also resurfaced. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Cuba offered to deploy 1,586 doctors and send 37 tons of medical equipment to the United States, an offer that was declined. The hurricane resulted in more than 1,800 deaths and displaced approximately 1.5 million people, an episode cited by critics as reflecting political considerations in humanitarian decision-making.
Observers further describe parallels between Cuba and Gaza as constituting a form of “dual blockade.” Through oil restrictions, trade limitations, and secondary sanctions, the United States is estimated to inflict billions of dollars in annual economic losses on Cuba. Meanwhile, much of the announced aid is distributed through the Catholic Church and U.S.-supported non-governmental organizations in ways that minimize the Cuban government’s institutional role, a model critics argue mirrors aid mechanisms applied in Gaza.
Organizations such as Caritas Internationalis and Catholic Relief Services play a prominent role in these operations, receiving significant portions of their funding directly from the U.S. government. Reports indicate that in 2024, more than 72 percent of total U.S. assistance allocated to Cuba was directed to organizations based within the United States itself.
Another area of concern raised by critics relates to the intelligence and security dimensions of aid distribution. Experiences in Gaza, they argue, demonstrated that humanitarian delivery systems may be accompanied by extensive monitoring and data collection, concerns reinforced by statements from the United States Department of State regarding “strict oversight” of how assistance to Cuba is utilized.
Finally, analysts note that the historical relationship between Cuba and Palestine, alongside Havana’s longstanding diplomatic support for the Palestinian cause, is viewed by some observers as a contributing factor behind sustained U.S. pressure on the island nation. Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro warned in a 1979 address at the United Nations that neglecting global inequality and injustice could lead to catastrophic consequences for the future of the world.
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