Pro-Israel journalist accuses Cuba of detaining him for his activism

The Moroccan journalist Amine Ayoub, a member of the Middle East Forum and known for his public defense of Israel, reported that he was detained and expelled from Cuba due to his activism.

In statements to Ynetnews, the English-language portal of the Israeli media Ynet, he claimed that his visit to the island turned into a "ordeal" of 32 hours in custody, after being interrogated about the Israeli stamps in his passport and having his plan to travel to the Bahamas to meet his brother, who lives in Houston, Texas, thwarted.

Ayoub recounted that he arrived in Havana, without specifying the date, coming from France, and was detained for between four and five hours upon his arrival. According to his testimony, the Cuban authorities asked him if he had lived in Israel and checked his phone.

“I thought that with all their speeches about peace and all the good things they say about themselves, it would be fine. I didn't know that Cuba would hate me and treat me this way,” Ayoub said.

According to him, he was questioned about the Israeli stamps in his passport. “They treated me like a terrorist… they detained me like a criminal,” he stated.

Although he was allowed to stay in the country for three days, when he appeared at the airport to fly to the Bahamas, a civilian took away his passport and informed him that he could not leave.

Ayoub claims that he did not receive a formal explanation and was taken to a cell with metal chairs, “without food or water,” where he spent 32 hours under surveillance. “I still have physical pain from having slept in that place,” he said.

Cuba broke diplomatic relations with Israel in 1973 and recognizes the Palestine Liberation Organization as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Since then, it has consistently advocated for the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state and condemned Israeli military operations as violations of international law.

In January 2024, during a debate at the UN, the Cuban government demanded "an end to the genocide" against the Palestinian people and proposed an international protection mission for Gaza.

In July 2025, at the first ministerial summit of the Hague Group, of which Cuba is a member, support was given to carry out arrest warrants against Israeli leaders and to prohibit the docking of military ships from that country.

Miguel Díaz-Canel has been explicit in his stance. “The violence in Palestine is a consequence of decades of illegal Israeli occupation and colonization practices”, he stated in 2023, and in June of this year he condemned “in the strongest terms” an Israeli airstrike on Iran, labeling it a threat to international peace.

Although Ayoub links his expulsion to his pro-Israel activism, the Cuban government has not made any public comments about the incident.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Detention of Journalist Amine Ayoub in Cuba