Current:Home > StocksPalestinians mark 76th "Nakba," as the raging Israel-Hamas war leaves them to suffer a brand new catastrophe-LoTradeCoin
Palestinians mark 76th "Nakba," as the raging Israel-Hamas war leaves them to suffer a brand new catastrophe
View Date:2024-12-23 22:38:52
Ramallah, West Bank — For Palestinians, Wednesday marks the "Nakba." The word means catastrophe, and the date marks the mass displacement in 1948 of more than 700,000 Palestinians upon the formation of the modern state of Israel.
It has been 76 years since that happened, but this year, Palestinians are also commemorating what some are calling a second Nakba — the current war in the Gaza Strip, which has been perhaps the most horrific and the bloodiest chapter in the history of the Palestinian people.
Since Gaza's Hamas rulers sparked the war with their Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's retaliatory offensive in the territory, according to its health ministry. The United Nations estimates that at least 1.7 million people — more than half of Gaza's population — have been displaced from their homes since the war started.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been adamant since Oct. 7 that the only way to respond to Hamas' slaughter of some 1,200 people is to destroy the group, and he's vowed to carry out a ground offensive in Rafah, the last Gazan city so far spared an all-out assault.
Israel says there are four Hamas battalions still there, but there are also hundreds of thousands of civilians who sought refuge in the southern city over seven months of war, and the U.S. and other Israeli allies have warned against a full-scale ground invasion.
Much of the rest of Gaza has already been left in ruins by Israel's overwhelming firepower — much of it supplied by the U.S., and with much more said to be on the way soon.
For the Palestinian people, it's already been a crisis on a scale far greater than the violence and displacement of 76 years ago, and with the prospect of a Rafah incursion looming, thousands have fled in fear for their lives all over again.
On Tuesday, Israelis marked their Independence Day. Normally a time of celebration, this year's commemorations were largely somber, as Israelis continue to call on their leaders to reach a deal to free the roughly 100 hostages still believed to be alive and held by Hamas or other groups in Gaza.
CBS News' Tucker Reals contributed to this report.
- In:
- War
- Hamas
- Israel
- Palestinians
- Gaza Strip
- Benjamin Netanyahu
Imtiaz Tyab is a CBS News correspondent based in London.
TwitterveryGood! (458)
Related
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul press conference highlights: 'Problem Child' goads 'Iron Mike'
- 23-year-old Miami GOP activist accused joining Proud Boys in Jan. 6 riots
- Men who died in Oregon small plane crash were Afghan Air Force pilots who resettled as refugees
- Why Charles Melton Says Riverdale Truly Was My Juilliard
- Driver dies after crashing on hurricane-damaged highway in North Carolina
- Overly broad terrorist watchlist poses national security risks, Senate report says
- Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka confronted by a fan on the field at Chelsea
- A quarter of Methodist congregations abandon the Church as schism grows over LGBTQ issues
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul stirs debate: Is this a legitimate fight?
- Paige DeSorbo & Hannah Berner New Year Eve's Fashion Guide to Bring That Main Character Energy in 2024
Ranking
- Elon Musk says 'SNL' is 'so mad' Trump won as he slams Dana Carvey's impression
- Cinnamon in recalled applesauce pouches may have had 2,000 times the proposed limit of lead
- Newest toys coming to McDonald's Happy Meals: Squishmallows
- Germany’s top prosecutor files motion for asset forfeiture of $789 million of frozen Russian money
- Digital Finance Research Institute Introduce
- Deep flaws in FDA oversight of medical devices — and patient harm — exposed in lawsuits and records
- Powerball lottery jackpot nearing $600 million: When is the next drawing?
- Live updates | Talks on Gaza cease-fire and freeing more hostages as Hamas leader is in Egypt
Recommendation
-
Dramatic video shows Phoenix police rescue, pull man from car submerged in pool: Watch
-
Derek Hough reveals wife Hayley Erbert will have skull surgery following craniectomy
-
Homicide victim found in 1979 in Las Vegas identified as teen who left Ohio home in search of her biological father
-
Dancing in her best dresses, fearless, a TikTok performer recreates the whole Eras Tour
-
Nearly 80,000 pounds of Costco butter recalled for missing 'Contains Milk statement': FDA
-
A month after House GOP's highly touted announcement of release of Jan. 6 videos, about 0.4% of the videos have been posted online
-
DNA may link Philadelphia man accused of slashing people on trail to a cold-case killing, police say
-
The US has released an ally of Venezuela’s president in a swap for jailed Americans, the AP learns