Palestinians Commemorate ‘Nakba’ Anniversary Amid Ongoing Israeli Attacks on Gaza

Gaza, The Gulf Observer: Amid mounting tensions and the looming specter of an Israeli ground offensive, tens of thousands of civilians have evacuated the southern Gaza city of Rafah, marking a stark exodus as Palestinians commemorate the anniversary of their “Nakba,” or “catastrophe,” of 1948.

As the eve of the Nakba commemoration unfolded on Wednesday, throngs of individuals participated in an annual march traversing the remnants of villages from which Palestinians were forcibly displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Amidst the haunting ruins, Abdul Rahman al Sabah, 88, recounted the harrowing ordeal of his family’s expulsion from al Kassayer by members of the Haganah, a Zionist paramilitary group, who razed their village to the ground.

During the tumult of Israel’s inception, approximately 760,000 Palestinians endured expulsion or forcible displacement from their ancestral homes, seeking refuge in what would later evolve into Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Presently, a wave of Israeli assaults has uprooted nearly 450,000 Palestinians from Rafah since May 6, with an additional 100,000 displaced from northern Gaza, as reported by UN agencies.

These staggering figures underscore the humanitarian crisis gripping Gaza, with approximately a quarter of its 2.4 million residents subjected to displacement within a span of just one week.

Echoing calls for urgent intervention, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated the imperative for a humanitarian ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of vital aid to the besieged territory.

“I reiterate my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and for the release of all hostages. I call for the Rafah crossing to be re-opened immediately and for unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza,” Guterres emphasized in a statement shared on the social media platform X.