Thousands of miles from the devastation in Gaza, hundreds of Palestinian students are pursuing their dreams in Cuba thanks to scholarships from the island’s government.
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Samar Alghoul lives in a residence with six other students at the University of Havana
The press agency AFP narrated the plight of Palestinian medical students in Cuba, and related his feelings of helplessness as he watched his homeland burn.
A 21-year-old medical student from Gaza is divided between her studies and heartbreaking scenes in his homeland.
Thousands of miles from the devastation, Samar and hundreds of other Palestinian students are pursuing their dreams in Cuba, thanks to scholarships from the island’s government.
For Samar, the daily anguish of not knowing the safety of your family (his mother, his two brothers and his sister) in the Gaza Strip weighs heavily.
“It would be easier for me to be with them than to have all these thoughts, of not knowing what they drink, what they eat, where they sleep,” he told AFP .
“We are proud of you, we are proud to have someone outside of Gaza studying medicine,” Samar’s mother assures him through WhatsApp messages.
Samar is one of the 247 Palestinian students, including 75 from Gaza, who currently benefit from Cuban scholarshipsaccording to Palestinian ambassador Akram Samhan.
Since 1974, Cuba has expanded this educational opportunity for around 1,500 Palestiniansmany of whom returned to serve their communities as doctors.
Motee Almashar, 24, another Palestinian student in Cuba, talks about the challenges of trying to stay focused on studies amidst the constant barrage of distressing news arrivals from home.
“As soon as you pick up the phone, you see the news,” he shares of the recent loss of family members in the Rafah bombing.
Conflict not only affects your emotional well-being, but also your financial stability.. With no means to receive support from his relatives in Gaza due to the interruption of financial channels, Palestinian students in Cuba face additional difficulties.
Faced with this situation, Ambassador Samhan launched some initiatives to raise donations from Palestinian groups around the world in support of students.
Mohammed Refat Almassri, 26, who He is torn between completing his studies and returning to work in the Gaza health systemexemplifies this dilemma.
Despite his eagerness to contribute, financial constraints prevent him from flying back to his homeland where the need for medical professionals is urgent.
Cuba has always been a strong defender of Palestinian rights and sovereignty. After the Gaza war broke out, President Miguel Díaz-Canel led a popular march along the central Malecón street to express your support the Palestinian cause and condemn the crimes of the Israeli occupation.
At the end of November, after the Israeli order to close the presence of Al Mayadeen In occupied Palestine, Cuba expressed its solidarity with the network and its global mission to defend the truth.
“One more time, The American and Israeli regimes demonstrate their fear of defenders of the truth and seek to silence them“declared the Cuban ambassador to Lebanon, Jorge León Cruz.
