Mideast Wars Nakba Anniversary

Palestinian Yusuf Abu Hamam, front center, who was expelled from his town during the first Israeli-Arab war in 1948, walks with his grandchildren and son past buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

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Palestinians in Gaza mark anniversary of 1948 mass uprooting and say today's catastrophe is worse

Palestinians in Gaza mark anniversary of 1948 mass uprooting and say today's catastrophe is worse

Millions of Palestinians are marking the 78th anniversary of the Nakba. That's Arabic for “catastrophe,” referring to the mass expulsion and flight of some 750,000 Palestinians from what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. Friday's anniversary is the third commemoration of the Nakba since the war in Gaza began. More than six months after an October ceasefire, Gaza’s more than 2 million people are now crammed into less than half of the 25-mile-long strip along the Mediterranean coast. They are surrounded by an Israeli-controlled zone. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country's military now controls 60% of the Gaza strip.