Israeli airstrikes continue to devastate the Gaza Strip, international outrage is mounting against what critics call a dual policy of aggression and impunity. The governments of Russia, Cuba, and Palestine have each issued stinging condemnations of Israel’s conduct, both on the battlefield and within the opaque realm of nuclear diplomacy.
The chorus of criticism comes amid a worsening humanitarian catastrophe. In northern Gaza, residential neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble, and hospitals have run out of critical supplies. UN officials warn of a complete breakdown in civil services unless an immediate ceasefire is enacted.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla directly accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of manipulating false narratives about Iran’s nuclear intentions to drag the United States into a regional war. In a statement posted to social media, Rodríguez said that Netanyahu and his allies had, for over three decades, propagated unsubstantiated claims that Iran sought nuclear weapons, with the aim of provoking US military intervention. “The goal,” he asserted, “was to destroy a civilization that has long backed Palestinian statehood.”
Cuba’s leadership, including President Miguel Díaz-Canel, has consistently denounced US and Israeli military actions targeting Iran. The Cuban government reiterated its solidarity with Tehran, framing the crisis as a struggle between sovereign resistance and Western aggression.
The timeline of conflict supports Havana’s narrative. Israel initiated a military offensive against Iran. Tehran retaliated within 24 hours. The United States formally entered the conflict nine days later, attacking Iranian nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. In response, Iran targeted the US air base at Al Udeid in Qatar. A ceasefire, brokered with American support, took effect the following day.
“Israel cannot claim the mantle of nonproliferation while concealing its own nuclear arsenal from the international community,” the ministry said. “The double standards practiced by Western countries, especially the United States, only embolden Tel Aviv’s defiance.”
Cuba echoed those concerns, accusing Israel of maintaining a “nuclear monopoly” in the region and flouting international protocols without consequence. In a sharply worded statement published by Prensa Latina, Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it described as “Zionist exceptionalism” and criticized Washington’s silence as a form of complicity. The top representative of Cuban government noted that “Netanyahu and his supporters have been lying for more than 30 years about Iran supossedly having nuclear weapons.”
Israel’s intention is clear, it seeks to militarily involve the United States government to destroy Iran, which has historically supported the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Gaza burns while world watches
In the bombed-out Shujaiya district, rescue crews worked through the night to pull survivors from the rubble of what had been a five-story apartment complex. At least 14,000 Palestinians, including thousands of children, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes over the past month, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. UNRWA reported that seven of its shelters were struck during the last two weeks alone.
Doctors in Gaza warn that there is increasingly no sanctuary within the hospitals—structures that are failing due to repeated bombardment, supply shortages, and evacuations. They describe a medical system overwhelmed by war, lacking essentials like power, medicine, or staffing, and operating on the brink of collapse, unable to sustain even basic life-saving services.
Israeli officials, when contacted, offered no comment on the nuclear accusations but insisted their military campaign is targeting Hamas infrastructure. US officials reiterated their so-called stance that “Israel has the right to defend itself,” a position that has drawn criticism from human rights organizations across the Global South.
Multipolar Pressure Grows
A senior Russian diplomat at the United Nations, Russia’s Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia, warned during the June 22 UN Security Council session that Israel’s exclusion from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty allows it to evade International Atomic Energy Agency inspections. He described this situation as both “ugly and cynical,” stating that such privilege undermines international disarmament norms and demands corrective action, according to Middle East Monitor.
Furthermore, Russia and the other BRICS nations have backed the proposal for a conference on establishing a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, emphasizing that no nation should be immune to international law.
Cuba’s remarks struck a similar chord. As an observer member of the BRICS+ alliance, Havana emphasized the need for new international security architecture not dictated by Western veto powers. “True security comes from justice,” a Cuban diplomat said.
The pushback comes amid growing alignment between Russia, Cuba, Iran, and the Palestinian Authority—united in their demand for nuclear transparency and regional accountability. Iran, for its part, continues to grant access to IAEA inspectors and has not been found in breach of its obligations, contrary to persistent Israeli accusations.
Strategic Silence and Dangerous Precedent
Israel has long adhered to a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” refusing to confirm or deny its nuclear weapons capability. Estimates by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) suggest that Israel possesses around 90 nuclear warheads—none subject to international inspection.
A number of experts—including nonproliferation analysts in Beirut—have observed that Israel’s denial of its nuclear arsenal effectively shields it from accountability, while eroding global trust in arms control regimes. They caution that it is not merely the weapons themselves that pose a risk, but the silence that obscures them. At the same time, Gaza’s descent into conditions labeled “unlivable” by United Nations officials has prompted calls for a ceasefire from the Arab League, African Union, and even factions within the European Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority has confirmed plans to pursue legal charges at the International Criminal Court over which it describes as the “targeted destruction of civilian infrastructure” using US-supplied munitions.
