Ramallah, West Bank, and Palestine Palestinians refer to Wednesday as the “Nakba.” The term “catastrophe” and the specific date in question refer to the significant displacement of over 700,000 Palestinians in 1948, which took place after the establishment of the modern state of Israel.
Palestinians are also commemorating what some are calling a second Nakba this year, the current conflict in the Gaza Strip, which has been perhaps the most horrific and bloody chapter in the Palestinian people’s history, despite the fact that it has been 76 years since that event.
Since Gaza’s Hamas overlords initiated the conflict with their terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, the retaliatory offensive in the region has resulted in the deaths of over 35,000 Palestinians, according to Israel’s health ministry. More than half of Gaza’s population, at least 1.7 million individuals, have been displaced from their homes since the conflict began, according to the United Nations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained a steadfast posture since October 7 that the sole appropriate course of action in response to Hamas’s slaughter of approximately 1,200 individuals is to destroy the organization. He has also committed to conducting a ground offensive in Rafah, the final Gazan metropolis to have evaded an all-out assault to date.
According to Israel, the southern city has been occupied by hundreds of thousands of civilians who are seeking refuge following a seven-month conflict. The United States and other Israeli allies have issued warnings against a full-scale ground invasion.
Israel’s extensive ordnance, which is largely supplied by the United States, has already rendered a significant portion of Gaza in ruins. And it is anticipated that additional destruction will occur in the near future.
Thousands of Palestinians have fled in terror for their lives once again, as the prospect of a Rafah incursion looms, and the violence and displacement of 76 years ago have already been eclipsed by the current crisis.
On Tuesday, the Israeli populace commemorated Independence Day. This year’s observances were primarily solemn, as Israelis continued to push their leaders to negotiate a release plan for the approximately 100 detainees that Hamas or other groups in Gaza are believed to be holding. Typically, this period is characterized by festivity.
