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| Female demonstrators run for cover from tear gas fired by Israeli forces at a protest on Friday during the Great Return |
International Military - Exactly May 15 yesterday, the Palestinian people commemorated the scariest day for them. This dark event is known as the Nakba or Yawm an-Nakba, which means the Day of Disaster, where on that day in 1948, there was the expulsion of around 750,000 Palestinians from their homeland by the Zionists.
At that time, the Zionist forces carried out ethnic cleansing of Palestine by destroying about 530 villages and towns, and killing about 15,000 Palestinians in a series of mass atrocities, including more than 70 massacres.
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Zionists who want to form the state of Israel seize about 78 percent of the Palestinian territories. Until now, only 22 percent of the Palestinian territory remains which is divided into the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Six million Palestinians now mostly live in refugee camps spread across the two areas, while millions more choose to take refuge in neighboring countries.
Nakba Day is also celebrated every year to remind the world about the cruelty of the Israeli occupation. For Palestinians, the Nakba is not just a historical event, but a continuous process that never stops because of the violence and deprivation of rights that are still being carried out by the Zionist forces until now.
Attack on Memorial Day
The commemoration of the 74th Nakba, was held amid the anger of the Palestinian people over the killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Aqla. Shireen, a Palestinian and US citizen, died after being shot by Israeli forces while covering an attack in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin last week.
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Meanwhile, the commemoration of Nakba Day was held in various cities in Palestine. During the Nakba memorial at the northern gate to Al-Bireh, West Bank, Israeli troops reportedly attacked Palestinians holding a march. At least 16 Palestinians were injured.
Quoted from the Al Jazeera page, the Palestinian medical organization said that seven of the injured were caused by live bullets and three were injured by being hit by rubber-coated steel bullets. Four other people were reported to be experiencing respiratory problems after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli forces.
Attacks on Palestinians celebrating Nakba Day also occurred in the Al-Aroub refugee camp area in the city of Hebron. Andi Noor Faradiba from ACT's Global Humanity Network team explained that since the Nakba incident 74 years ago, the Palestinian people are still suffering from all the injustices and acts of Israeli violence during the occupation.
Although ACT and donors have been present for many years to support the struggle of the Palestinian people through their humanitarian assistance, this is far from enough. There are still so many people there who need the help of the international community to survive, said Faradiba.