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Gallery|Al-Nakba

Nakba Day: 71st anniversary of Israel’s takeover

At least 47 Palestinians wounded by Israeli soldiers amid protests to mark the 71st anniversary of ‘the catastrophe’.

A woman holding a Palestinian flag gestures in front of Israeli forces during a protest marking the 71st anniversary of the ''Nakba'', or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced from
A Palestinian woman protesting at the separation fence in the southern Gaza Strip. [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters]
Published On 15 May 2019

Thousands of Palestinians rallied on Wednesday to mark Nakba Day, what Palestinians call “the catastrophe” that befell them in the war that led to the establishment of Israel in 1948.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their homes.

For more than a year, Palestinians in Gaza have been holding weekly protests along the fence, calling for the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to the territory, as well as for an end to a 12-year blockade imposed by Israel.

At least 47 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli soldiers during Wednesday’s protests, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. 

Witnesses said the soldiers fired live ammunition, tear gas canisters and rubber-coated steel bullets to disperse protesters near the Israeli separation fence in eastern Gaza.

Palestinians gather during a protest marking the 71st anniversary of the ''Nakba'', or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced from their homes in the war surrounding Israel''s indepe
Thousands gathered on Wednesday near the Israeli separation fence in eastern Gaza, the scene of weekly demonstrations over the past year. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters]
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Demonstrators hold Palestinian flags during a protest marking the 71st anniversary of the ''Nakba'', or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced from their homes in the war surroundin
For more than a year, Palestinians in Gaza have been holding weekly protests along the fence. [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters]
Palestinian demonstrators run for cover from tear gas canisters fired by Israeli forces during a protest marking the 71st anniversary of the ''Nakba'', or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands fled or
Palestinian demonstrators run for cover from tear gas canisters fired by Israeli forces during a protest near the separation fence, east of Gaza City. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters]
A wounded Palestinian boy is evacuated during a protest marking the 71st anniversary of the ''Nakba'', or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced from their homes in the war surround
According to the Gaza health ministry, at least 47 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli soldiers during the protests. [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters]
Palestinian demonstrators gesture in front of Israeli forces during a protest marking the 71st anniversary of the ''Nakba'', or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced from their hom
Witnesses said the soldiers fired live ammunition, tear gas canisters and rubber-coated steel bullets to disperse protesters. The Israeli military said that troops responded with 'riot dispersal means'. [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters]
Palestinians hold placards and flags during a protest to mark the 71st anniversary of Nakba or catastrophe in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, 15 May 2019. Nakba Day, or Day of the Catastrophe, which
Nakba Day, or 'Day of the Catastrophe', is marked on May 15 to commemorate the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their land in the war that led to the establishment of Israel in 1948. [Abed Al Hashlamoun/EPA]
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Palestinians hold placards and flags during a protest to mark the 71st anniversary of Nakba or catastrophe in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, 15 May 2019. Nakba Day, or Day of the Catastrophe, which
Scores of demonstrations to mark the day of mourning were planned throughout the country on Wednesday. [Abed Al Hashlamoun/EPA]