Alessandro Di Battista undergoes urgent surgery in Havana as medical return to Italy is postponed
The former Italian lawmaker was admitted to intensive care at Havana's Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital after worsening symptoms halted a planned air ambulance flight to Rome.
Emergency operation in Havana
Former Italian lawmaker Alessandro Di Battista underwent urgent surgery in Havana on Saturday, 5 September 2026, after an abrupt decline in his health forced doctors to cancel a planned medical repatriation flight to Italy. The former Five Star Movement deputy had been scheduled to depart Cuba aboard a private insurance air ambulance configured for a multi-stage transatlantic flight to Rome, with an admission planned at the Policlinico Gemelli. Medical specialists called off the departure shortly before takeoff as his condition deteriorated, opting to perform an immediate surgical procedure at the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital in Havana. Following the operation, medical teams moved Di Battista to the hospital intensive care unit for close monitoring. The transport aircraft remained grounded in the Bahamas pending further medical evaluations.
Medical onset and Cuban hospital care
Di Battista had traveled to Cuba as an activist and reporter to work on a documentary project for the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano. His symptoms began on 28 August 2026 near Santa Clara, located more than 300 kilometres from the capital, where severe head pains prompted an emergency hospital admission. Local doctors initially treated him in Santa Clara before transferring him to the specialized Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital in Havana, where he spent a week under medical care. On the evening of 3 September 2026, Di Battista posted a video message online regarding civilian casualties in Gaza, making no mention of his personal medical emergency.
- Admitted to hospital near Santa Clara with severe head pain during documentary filming
- Publishes public statement on Gaza while hospitalised in Havana
- Undergoes urgent surgery in Havana as condition halts air ambulance flight to Rome
Specialist deployment and diplomatic coordination
Following the initial diagnosis, two medical specialists from Rome's Policlinico Gemelli, including a neurosurgeon and a resuscitation specialist, traveled to Cuba to work directly with the Cuban medical team. Sahra Lahouasnia, the mother of Di Battista's two children, also traveled to Havana to accompany him through the treatment. Luca Di Giuseppe, the president of the civic association Schierarsi, flew to the Cuban capital to assist with arrangements before returning to Italy. Di Giuseppe expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by Cuban doctors and Italian Ambassador Simona Di Martino throughout the medical crisis.
Post-operative response and recovery timeline
The civic association Schierarsi published an official notice on Saturday morning confirming that the scheduled medical flight had been suspended due to medical developments.
We ask everyone to maintain the utmost discretion and prudence in the dissemination of information, pending further updates.
Thousands of supporters and former parliamentary colleagues posted messages of encouragement across social networks following the announcement. Political associates noted that his recovery will require extended patience and weeks of medical care in Havana before any new evacuation can be considered. Close colleagues emphasized that while the planned medical return was interrupted, doctors made the appropriate medical choices to stabilize his health before permitting long-distance travel.
