Palestinians Mark 78th Nakba Anniversary in Ramallah as Israel’s War Displaces Nearly Two Million

Palestinians marked the 78th anniversary of the Nakba on Tuesday with a central march and public gathering in Ramallah at 11:30 a.m., as events unfolded under the slogan “We Will Not Leave… Our Roots Are Deeper Than Your Destruction.”

“Palestinians marked the 78th anniversary of the Nakba on Tuesday with a central march and public gathering in Ramallah at 11:30 a”

- IMEMC News

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said the number of Palestinians worldwide has reached about 15.5 million, including 7.4 million living in historic Palestine and about 8.1 million in the diaspora.

- IMEMC News

The bureau said Israel’s war on Gaza has displaced nearly two million Palestinians out of about 2.2 million who lived in the enclave on the eve of the war, with many now living in tents, shelters and schools.

It added that about 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced from refugee camps in the northern West Bank because of ongoing Israeli military operations, while the statement also said illegal Israeli settlement activity continues to expand.

In Gaza, the bureau said Israel’s war has completely destroyed more than 102,000 buildings and fully or partially damaged more than 330,000 housing units, alongside destruction of infrastructure, health facilities and schools.

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics’ Nakba statement said the ongoing Israeli war of extermination has displaced nearly two million Palestinians out of the 2.2 million who resided in the Strip before the outbreak of hostilities, and that most displaced people are concentrated in tents, shelters and schools.

It said about 40,000 residents were displaced from northern camps in the West Bank due to ongoing military operations, and it linked those movements to settlement expansion that brought the number of Israeli settlement sites and military bases to 645 by the end of 2025.

Al Jazeera

The report also said official data showed the number of settlers in the occupied West Bank jumped to approximately 778,567 by the end of 2024, with a high concentration in the Jerusalem Governorate exceeding 42%.

On casualties, the bureau said the number of martyrs since October 7, 2023, until the end of April 2026 has exceeded 73,761, including 72,601 in the Gaza Strip and 1,160 in the West Bank.

It further said the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip caused the complete destruction of over 102,000 buildings and damage to approximately 330,000 housing units, either partially or completely.

While Palestinians marked the anniversary, Palestinian institutions described the period as one of the most dangerous since the original Nakba, citing “genocide in the Gaza Strip,” continued attacks on refugee camps in the northern West Bank, and political efforts to undermine the status of Palestinian refugees and dismantle UNRWA.

IMEMC News said the National Committee for the Commemoration of the Nakba organized nationwide events with broad official and popular participation, and it said the committee reaffirmed Palestinians’ commitment to the right of return for refugees displaced in 1948.

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said Israeli authorities continue to impose strict restrictions on Palestinians through about 900 military checkpoints and gates across the West Bank, limiting residents’ movement and blocking access to large areas of agricultural and grazing land.

It also said Israeli authorities seized more than 5,571 dunams (1,377 acres) of Palestinian land in 2025 through seizure orders, expropriation and declarations of “state land.”

In Gaza, the bureau said the Israeli army has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 172,000 others in a two-year offensive on Gaza since October 2023.