Déjà Vu: A Second Nakba
Photo Credit to: Arab Center Washington DC
Back in 1948, during the Nakba, Palestinians faced the harsh reality of displacement. Today, more than 7.2 million Palestinian refugees are scattered across the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, and neighbouring Arab countries like Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.
Fast forward to April 2024, a photograph captures Rafah in the aftermath of another crisis in Gaza. The population of the Gaza Strip, already burdened with approximately 2.1 million people, including 1.7 million Palestinian refugees, finds itself grappling with yet another catastrophe.
"Don’t take everything with you, we will be back soon"
This sentence echoes through the streets as families hurriedly evacuate their homes, a haunting refrain from the 1948 Nakba. Usually, forced departures leave people with nothing, but this time, makeshift tents become their shelter.
In Rafah, reports from CNN reveal a staggering one million individuals seeking refuge in a widespread tent city in southern Gaza, a desperate bid for survival amidst chaos and destruction.
Ali, a 20-year-old medical student now residing in Rafah, recounts the harrowing journey southward. Fear and desperation clouded people's eyes as they fled impending doom, an experience straight out of a horror movie turned reality.
Photo: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
The image of Palestinian families trekking along a highway towards southern Gaza on November 9, 2023, mirrors scenes from the Nakba era, a heartbreaking repetition of history. Each person had their own life, aspirations, and cherished memories now reduced to rubble.
Photo Credit: L'Associazione Cultura è Libertà
Ali shared a touching snapshot captured before his departure, a testament to a life uprooted, clinging to the hope of return.
Months later, a photograph arrives, but it's not a homecoming; it's a stark reminder of what was lost. Amidst the rubble, Ali longs for more captured moments, feeling nostalgic for the days when his home was a sanctuary, filled with laughter and dreams.
He wished if he took more photos and videos. The place where he and his siblings grew up and raised! The place where he gathered with his family having their favourite meal or watching the premier league matches on Saturday and Sunday nights!
While his grandparents endured similar hardships in 1948, Ali and many Palestinian families strive to rebuild, rising from the ashes of devastation. Yet, the cycle of displacement persists, a relentless reality for Palestinians.
Despite the adversity, their resilience endures, underscoring the importance of preserving their stories and amplifying their voices all around the world.
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References:
Institute for Middle East Understading (2023), ‘Quick Facts: The Palestinian Nakba (“Catastrophe”)’ Available at: imeuw.org (Accessed 25 April 2024).
Fareed Taamallah (2020), ‘I RACCOLTI ABBANDONATI NEL 1948: CONTADINI PALESTINESI RICORDANO LA NAKBA’, Available at: palestinaculturaliberta.org (Accessed 22 April 2024).
UNRWA (2023), ‘Where we work’, Available at: https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/gaza-strip (Accessed 24 April 2024).
Yousef Munayyer (2023), ‘The Nakba’s Coming Stages: Patterns, Process, and Predictability’. Available at: https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/the-nakbas-coming-stages-patterns-process-and-predictability/ (Accessed 23 April 2024).