On its 78th anniversary.. The Palestinian Nakba renews with chapters of forced displacement and genocide

Today, Friday, May 15, marks the seventy-eighth anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, at a time when the Palestinian people are experiencing new and horrific chapters of genocide and forced displacement. This anniversary, which has been entrenched in the collective consciousness since 1948, returns today to embody a tragic scene that recalls the miseries of the first diaspora, but with more lethal tools of destruction targeting the Palestinian presence in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank alike.

On this day, Palestinian memory recalls the roots of the tragedy that began in 1948, when Zionist gangs committed more than 70 horrific massacres against unarmed civilians. These massacres at the time resulted in the martyrdom of more than 15,000 Palestinians and the displacement of about 957,000 out of 1.4 million Palestinians who lived in 1,300 Palestinian villages and cities, marking the beginning of a refugee journey whose chapters have not yet ended.

During the first Nakba, the occupation managed to control about 85% of historical Palestine's area, and deliberately destroyed 531 villages completely in a systematic attempt to erase the cultural and human impact of the Palestinian people. Today, almost eight decades later, this policy continues through the destruction of residential neighborhoods and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, with the aim of making the land uninhabitable and pushing residents towards new migration.

Statistical data issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics for 2026 indicates a catastrophic reality, as the ongoing war of extermination in the Gaza Strip has led to the displacement of nearly two million Palestinians. These displaced people today live in dilapidated tents that reflect the image of the first refugee in 1948, confirming that the Nakba is not just a fleeting historical event but a continuous process of oppression and displacement.

The renewed chapters of the Nakba were not limited to the Gaza Strip, but extended to include camps and cities in the northern West Bank, which witnessed the displacement of about 40,000 Palestinians as a result of ongoing military operations. This field escalation raised the number of Palestinians in the diaspora and exile to about 8.1 million people, out of a total of 15.5 million Palestinians living around the world, clinging to the dream of returning to their homes.

On the political front, President Mahmoud Abbas described the current stage as pivotal and historic in the journey of the Palestinian struggle. Abbas affirmed in his statements that the 'Oslo Accord', which was supposed to establish an independent state, was fatally undermined as a result of rampant settlement expansion and occupation practices that nullified all understandings and agreements signed between the two sides.

The Palestinian President hinted that the leadership will not remain hostage to international agreements that only the Palestinian side respects, while the occupation completely disavows them. He considered that the forced displacement efforts currently practiced in Gaza and the West Bank undermine the essence of treaties, which forces Palestinians to return to demanding urgent international protection to confront what he described as the 'Second Nakba'.

In commemoration of this anniversary, massive marches were launched in various Palestinian cities and refugee camps under the slogan 'We will not leave.. Our roots are deeper than your destruction'. Participants, especially youth and children, raised 'keys of return' and the names of their original villages from which their ancestors were displaced, in a clear message to the occupation and the world that rights do not expire with time.

Popular activities stressed that the right of return guaranteed by UN Resolution 194 is a sacred and inalienable right. Speakers in the marches affirmed that legendary steadfastness on the ground is the optimal response to all attempts aimed at liquidating the Palestinian issue, including attempts to undermine UNRWA as an international witness to the refugee issue.

In conclusion, the 78th anniversary of the Nakba remains a living testament to the Palestinian people's ability to rise from under the rubble and adhere to their national identity despite all hardships. While politicians mourn past diplomatic paths, the Palestinian people renew their covenant with the land, affirming that true peace cannot be achieved through displacement or killing, but through the restoration of historical rights that were stolen since the autumn of 1948.

The Oslo Accord was fatally undermined by the practices of the occupation, and we will not remain hostage to agreements respected by one side.