internally displaced

+972 editor Vera Sajrawi stands in front of the well in the depopulated village of Al-Sajara. (Maria Zreik)

‘Your grandparents couldn’t return to Al-Sajara. But I know they died hoping’

Little remains of the village from which +972 editor Vera Sajrawi’s grandparents were uprooted in 1948. Living out the rest of their lives close by as internal refugees, they yearned for what was taken from them.

By Vera Sajrawi September 22, 2023

Palestinians take part in the “March of Return” to the destroyed village of Al Lajjun, April 26, 2023. (Oren Ziv)

How the Nakba’s second generation absorbed their parents’ trauma

From the food we ate to the work we chose, the Nakba permeated everything in the lives of the children of Palestinian refugees displaced in their homeland.

By Samah Salaime May 17, 2023

Rachel Beitarie, Executive Director of the left-wing Israeli NGO Zochrot, sits in front of the Jaffa Clock Tower. Around 95% of Jaffa's Palestinian population fled or were expelled during the Nakba. (Oren Ziv)

The Israeli left has broken the Nakba taboo. Will the right of return be next?

The past year has seen many left-wing Israeli groups looking beyond the occupation to confront the legacies of 1948, but they remain divided over redressing the exile of Palestinian refugees through return.

By Ben Reiff June 23, 2022

Latest

Palestinians put a sign marking the destroyed village of Lajjun in northern Israel, Nakba Day, May 15, 2015. (Photo by Omar Sameer/Activestills.org)

WATCH: Internally displaced Palestinians plan their return

For three years, a group of young Palestinian citizens of Israel has been meeting in order to imagine and plan their return to the destroyed villages from which their parents and grandparents were expelled. The project they initiated, “Udna” (“Return”), aims to give the younger generation an awareness of the Nakba, and to create actual…

By Social TV January 12, 2016

Palestinians salvage materials from destroyed homes at night in the village of Khuza’a, eastern Gaza Strip, November 6, 2014. (Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

PHOTOS: In Gaza, rebuilding is still over the horizon

With the humanitarian crisis more dire than ever before, the extreme need in Gaza continues to far outstrip the trickle of resources allowed to enter. Photos: Anne Paq/Activestills.org Text: Ryan Rodrick Beiler Click here for +972’s full coverage of the Gaza war Following Israel’s seven-week offensive last summer, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been forced…

By Activestills November 15, 2014

Mohammed, age 11, stands in the remains of his home in the Al Nada Towers of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip after they were destroyed by Israeli strikes. The towers had 90 apartments, home to many families. (photo: Activestills.org)

PHOTOS: Gaza’s children face an uncertain future

Israel’s latest offensive on the Gaza Strip killed more than 500 children. Those who survive must endure ongoing trauma and displacement. Photos by Anne Paq and Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org Text by Anne Paq I visited Al Nada towers in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip after they were destroyed by Israeli strikes. The towers had…

By Activestills September 30, 2014

A Palestinian child stands in a destroyed house in the Shujayea neighborhood, which was heavily attacked during the latest Israeli offensive, east of Gaza City, September 4, 2014. During the seven-week Israeli military offensive, 2,101 Palestinians were killed, including 495 children, and an estimated 18,000 housing units have been either destroyed or severely damaged, leaving more than 108,000 people homeless.

PHOTOS: Living in the ruins of a shattered Gaza neighborhood

Palestinians struggle to survive among the rubble of their neighborhood, Shujaiyeh, which was leveled by Israeli shelling during last month’s offensive. Photos by: Anne Paq and Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org Text by: Anne Paq A group of Palestinian men sit in one of the completely destroyed streets in Shujaiyeh, a neighborhood of east of Gaza City. In front…

By Activestills September 7, 2014

Displaced Palestinians in the first day of Eid, Gaza, July 28, 2014. 83 UNRWA schools turned into shelters, as also many hospitals all over the strip. (Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org)

PHOTOS: Gaza’s half-million internally displaced

Photos by: Basel Yazouri and Anne Paq/Activestills.org Text by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler The most commonly cited statistic from Gaza is the death toll, now rising past 1,814, according to UN figures. Such numbers can be numbing, as absorbing the reality of so many faces and names is impossible. Yet another staggering figure that is difficult…

By Activestills August 6, 2014

Palestinians sit inside central Gaza City's Church of St. Porphyrius where they find refuge, July 22, 2014. (Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

PHOTOS: Another day of destruction, death and displacement in Gaza

The number of dead has reached at least 620 mostly civilian Palestinians and 31 Israelis, 29 of them soldiers. Another day in Gaza between bombed houses, destruction and displaced people. Photos by: Anne Paq and Basel Yazouri/Activestills.org Text by: Keren Manor Related: Why do Palestinians continues to support…

By Activestills July 23, 2014

On Easter Monday in the displaced Palestinian village of Iqrit, residents dance around the town's church, April 21, 2014. (Activestills.org)

PHOTOS: On Easter, Palestinians resurrect their destroyed village

The Palestinian village of Irqit was depopulated in the 1948 war and then almost entirely razed. Now new generations of its original residents are trying to resurrect the town and realize a decades-old High Court ruling recognizing their right to return. Text and photos by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org It would seem that Israeli authorities conspired…

By Activestills April 22, 2014

Ruins of Bir'em, off the official park pathway (Oren Ziv / Activestills)

Authorities threaten displaced community’s return to village

The displaced Maronite community of Bir’em has decided to implement its right of return by resettling its land. Authorities have threatened to evict the villagers should they refuse to leave. Exactly one year ago, the displaced people of Iqrit decided that after 64 years of empty promises, they would wait no longer to return to…

By Haggai Matar August 22, 2013

The two summer camps outside the Iqrit church at sunset (Haggai Matar)

Palestinians celebrate anniversary of return to destroyed village

The displaced members of the village of Iqrit marked one year since their groundbreaking direct action: the return of the village youth to the village, the revival of its traditions and the strengthening of their hold on the land. Although they are now celebrating with friends and supporters, they fear a potential response from authorities.…

By Haggai Matar August 15, 2013

The March of Return to Khubeizy on Independance Day (Oren Ziv / Activestills)

Thousands join Palestinian March of Return on Israeli Independence Day

The annual March of Return brought approximately 7,000 people to the destroyed village of Khubeizy on Israel’s Independence Day. The march, which went through village lands and debris, now a national park, ended with a rally in which speakers called for the implementation of UN Resolution 194, recognizing the Palestinian refugees’ right of return, and…

By Haggai Matar April 17, 2013