Palestinians have been persecuted ever since the formation of Israel.
Thursday, 15 May marked Nakba Day — a solemn commemoration of the 1948 catastrophe, when more than 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes after the creation of the colonial-settler “State” of Israel.
Seventy-seven years later, the Nakba is not a closed chapter in history; it remains a brutal and ongoing reality. In both Gaza and the West Bank, Israel’s military onslaught has revived the original trauma of displacement. In Gaza, relentless bombardment has decimated entire neighbourhoods, forcing more than 2.4 million people into repeated, desperate flight. Families cling to survival in makeshift shelters, often bombed again, starved of food and water — reduced to eating grass and carrying what little they can.
Since 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 Israelis and others were killed and about 240 taken hostage by Hammas, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed. Israeli officials have openly advocated for the complete depopulation of Gaza, calling for the permanent expulsion of its Palestinian population.
Meanwhile, the West Bank — under Israeli military occupation since 1967 — remains a landscape of daily repression. Refugee camps are raided and dismantled. Residents, who endure constant surveillance, arbitrary detention and physical and sexual abuse including rape, live under conditions that strip them of dignity and basic rights.
In January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered a landmark ruling in the case brought by South Africa, finding that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide under international law. The court issued provisional measures ordering Israel to prevent genocidal acts, ensure humanitarian aid access, and preserve evidence.
Despite this binding decision, Israel has continued its military campaign with impunity — escalating attacks, blocking aid, and deepening the humanitarian catastrophe. The ICJ’s ruling underscores the urgent need for international accountability and reflects a growing consensus that Israel’s conduct is not only morally indefensible but legally actionable.
In May, Israel’s security cabinet announced plans to further expand its military operations in Gaza, an apparent attempt to unlawfully annex more territory through mass displacement. These plans are accompanied by calls for so-called third-world countries to absorb Gaza’s population, echoing US President Donald Trump’s grotesque proposal to expel all Palestinians and transform Gaza into a luxury tourist destination.
“Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.” — Article 13(b) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
This fundamental right applies to all displaced peoples, whether from Rwanda, Bosnia, South Africa or Palestine. The Palestinian people, like all others, are entitled to return, to justice and to liberation.
For more than seven decades, Palestinians have been systematically denied their right to return to their homes and lands. Despite clear provisions in international law — including United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194, which affirms this right — Israel has refused to allow Palestinian refugees to return.
Generations born in exile remain trapped in refugee camps across the Middle East, stateless and dispossessed. Meanwhile, Israel continues to grant automatic citizenship to Jewish immigrants worldwide, while denying indigenous Palestinians the right to reclaim what was taken from them. This discriminatory policy not only entrenches apartheid but also perpetuates the ongoing Nakba.
The Nakba did not end in 1948, it has only evolved, deepened and expanded. What we witness today is not only a humanitarian crisis but a continuation of a settler-colonial project rooted in erasure, expulsion, and domination.
Gaza stands as the world’s moral compass — a stark reminder of the urgent need for justice, dignity, and human rights. As the world marks Nakba Day, we must move beyond symbolic remembrance. It is time for sustained action — demanding accountability, supporting Palestinian resistance and upholding the fundamental rights of return, freedom and self-determination. Justice for Palestine is not only a moral imperative, it is a test of our shared humanity.
Sõzarn Barday is a writer and attorney based in South Africa, with a particular interest in human rights within the Middle East. Opinions shared represent her individual perspective.