The Nakba, meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic, marks the mass expulsion of Palestinians from their land in 1948 — a turning point driven by the UN’s 1947 partition plan and escalating Zionist attacks.

After the UN approved the plan, giving 56% of the land to the Jewish minority despite strong Arab opposition,

Zionist militias carried out violent massacres, targeting villages to drive Palestinians out.

On May 14, 1948, Zionist leaders declared the establishment of Israel on stolen Palestinian land. 

The next day, the US recognised the new state, legitimising what Palestinians saw as a campaign of dispossession.

By mid-1948, 75% of Palestinians had been forcibly expelled or fled in fear.

In just two years, 15,000 Palestinians were killed and more than 400 villages and towns were erased.

Palestinians were barred from returning, their properties handed over to hundreds of thousands of incoming Jewish settlers.

Many Palestinians fled with house keys in hand, expecting to return soon.

Today, those keys remain symbols of lost homes — and a historical homeland — for over 8.3 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants scattered across the world.

While Israel celebrates its foundation, Palestinians mark May 15 as Nakba Day — demanding justice and the right to return under UN Resolution 194, which affirms the right of refugees to return or be compensated.