Nakba Day and its significance to Palestinians

May 15 is Nakba Day, an annual day of commemoration that continues to hold additional meaning this year as Palestinians endure mass displacement, occupation and crippling hunger. Here, we look at the origins and significance of the day.

What is Nakba Day?

Nakba Day is commemorated annually on May 15. It marks the beginning of the destruction of the Palestinian homeland, and the mass displacement in 1948 of the majority of the Palestinian population.

Nakba means ‘catastrophe’ in Arabic and is the word used by Palestinians and others to refer to this historic moment. For some, the term is also used to describe the subsequent and ongoing persecution of Palestinians and their loss of territory.

In 1998, Nakba Day was officially inaugurated by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, though the date had been marked since 1949. Since 2023 it has been formally commemorated at the UN General Assembly.

What happened in May 1948?

May 1948 saw the start of a mass displacement in which over 700,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes.

Over the course of the 1948 Palestine War, which lasted until January 1949, Israeli forces destroyed more than 530 Palestinian villages and carried out several massacres, killing some 15,000 people, according to researcher Salman Abu Sitta.

78% of Palestine’s historic territory was captured and used to establish what is now Israel. The remaining land was divided into today’s Occupied Palestinian Territory – the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

Following Israeli victory in the war, abandoned homes were given to new settlers. The descendants of many of the Palestinians who fled in 1948 remain displaced to this day, both within Palestine and around the world. There are now more than 6 million Palestine refugees worldwide, according to the United Nations (UN).

What led up to the Nakba?

From 1920 until May 1948, the United Kingdom ruled over a territory called Mandatory Palestine under an agreement by the League of Nations – a precursor to the UN.

Following the end of World War II and the horror of the Holocaust, the British announced their intention to end the mandate, and the newly created UN began seeking to redraw the boundaries of Palestine to allow for the creation of a Jewish state.

None of the various partition plans suggested received support from the Palestinians or The Arab League (a body established after World War II to foster political, economic and social ties between Arab nations in the Middle East and North Africa). However, when the mandate ended, the establishment of the state of Israel was declared, triggering the 1948 Palestine War, also known as the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

What happened after the Nakba?

In the 78 years since the Nakba, the Israeli state has continued to encroach into Palestinian territory, displacing families and violating international law in the process.

Among the major instances of this was the Six Day War of 1967, which saw Israeli forces occupy all of historic Palestine, including Gaza and the West Bank, expelling 300,000 people from their homes.

In the decades since, tensions in the region have remained high, with frequent flare ups. However, the scale of the escalation that began in October 2023 is truly unprecedented. In Gaza over 72,700 people have been killed; and many more forced from their homes, often repeatedly. Among the displaced are Palestinians who moved to Gaza from elsewhere in Palestine after the Nakba, and their descendants.

What are the long-term consequences of the Nakba?

The Nakba resulted in the world’s longest running unresolved refugee crisis, with over 6 million Palestine refugees worldwide at present. Most live in neighbouring countries, including Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. In some cases, Palestinian refugees in the Middle East have endured war and further displacement in their host countries.

The enormous loss of territory which began with the Nakba continues to affect the everyday lives of Palestinians. Many valuable resources are in land now claimed by Israel, preventing Palestinians from accessing them and potentially growing their economy.

The Israeli occupation, which has been ruled illegal under international law, affects every aspect of Palestinians’ lives. It denies their basic human rights, undermines their dignity and entrenches poverty. It restricts movement, trade and access to water, services, farmland, markets and religious sites. It cuts Palestinians in Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank off from each other, separating families and friends.

Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since 2007. The blockade restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of the Strip, devastating the economy and people’s futures and disrupting humanitarian efforts. For years, thousands of essential items have been restricted from entering Gaza because Israel considers them to have a ‘dual use’, meaning items could potentially be used for both civilian and military purposes. In practice, this can include almost anything that people need. Items including fuel, water filters, solar pumps and surgical scissors have been refused entry.

Since October 2023 Israel has tightened the blockade even further, restricting food, medicine, fuel and other vital items from entering. Following the November 2025 ceasefire agreement, some aid and commercial supplies are allowed to enter but nowhere near enough to meet the huge needs.

How is Nakba Day commemorated?

For many, Nakba Day is an opportunity to draw attention to the historic persecution of Palestinians and their expulsion from their land, and highlight that it is still very much ongoing, particularly now, amid the unprecedented crisis.

Nakba Day is also a time to celebrate Palestine’s rich culture and history outside of a narrative of suffering, which for many defines the territory and its people. Palestinians are not only resilient, they are talented writers and dancers, gifted embroiderers, leading academics and scientists, and generous hosts.

In 2023, for the first time in history, the United Nations marked Nakba Day. The global body held an event to ‘serve as a reminder of the historic injustice suffered by the Palestinian people,’ as well as to highlight the ongoing refugee crisis. The event included speeches, music, photos and personal testimonies.

Why is Islamic Relief talking about Nakba Day?

Islamic Relief has been working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 1997, supporting Palestinians in need through emergency response efforts and development programming. Despite immense challenges, throughout the current crisis we have delivered lifesaving aid including water supplies, hygiene kits, psychosocial support for children and millions of hot meals.

We are also providing healthcare to expectant mothers and their newborns, running education activities for children living in displacement camps, and expanding our orphan sponsorship programme

This support is a lifeline for thousands of families in a time of desperate need.

Many of our staff and local partners have become displaced since October 2023 and are facing the same challenges as the communities we support. Our office in Gaza is among the almost 900,000 buildings destroyed or damaged by Israel’s bombing campaign.

On Nakba Day we commemorate the ongoing suffering and injustice facing the Palestinian people, and their continued expulsion from their land. Their suffering is not consigned to the history books: it is a deepening and devastating humanitarian crisis unfolding before the eyes of the world. More than 6 months since the ceasefire announcement, Israel continues to block humanitarian aid and Palestinians continue to suffer daily attacks, severe humanitarian deprivation, and mass displacement.

We are calling on international governments to protect Palestinians’ right to stay on their land and live in safety and dignity. World leaders must demand full adherence to the ceasefire agreement, an end to the Israeli occupation, protection of civilians and full unimpeded humanitarian access.

This is the present-day reality for everyone in Gaza, but whether it remains their future too depends on the decisions made by world leaders and international bodies today.

Please help Islamic Relief to continue supporting families in desperate need in Gaza. Donate to Palestine Appeal now.

Humanitarian needs in Lebanon remain critical

BEIRUT, 28 April 2026 — Lebanon continues to face a worsening humanitarian situation as displacement remains widespread and essential services struggle to keep pace with growing needs across the country.

Despite limited return movements recorded since mid-April, displacement remains prolonged and unstable. Many families are unable to return home permanently and instead make short visits before being displaced again due to insecurity, lack of basic services, and continued safety concerns.

An estimated 1.2–1.3 million people (around 20% of the population) remain displaced nationwide. As of 23 April, approximately 121,225 people are residing in 642 collective shelters. While this reflects some fluctuations in displacement patterns, shelter conditions remain critical, with 630–660 shelters still operational and many exceeding capacity, particularly in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, the South, and Bekaa.

The humanitarian impact of the crisis continues to escalate. Since early March, more than 2,489 fatalities and 7,719 injuries have been reported. In addition, over 147 attacks on healthcare facilities have been recorded, resulting in casualties among healthcare workers. The health system has also been severely affected, with six hospitals closed, 15 damaged, and more than 55 primary healthcare centres (PHCCs) partially or fully non-functional.

Widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure has further deepened the crisis, with an estimated 37,674 housing units destroyed, leaving thousands of families without adequate shelter.

Humanitarian response efforts continue across affected areas; however, operations remain severely constrained. Access restrictions, fuel shortages, and funding gaps are significantly limiting the scale and speed of assistance delivery, hindering efforts to reach all those in need.

Despite these challenges, Islamic Relief continues to provide life-saving assistance to affected communities. To date, the organisation has supported emergency response efforts including the distribution of 500 food parcels, 3,238 ready-to-eat meals, 1,040 hot meals, 1,314 hygiene kits, 200 blankets, and over 9,000 gallons of clean water to displaced families.

These interventions aim to meet urgent basic needs such as food, water, shelter support, and hygiene, particularly for families in collective shelters and hard-to-reach areas.

Humanitarian organisations, including Islamic Relief, continue to call for urgent and sustained international support to address escalating needs and ensure affected families receive timely assistance, protection, and dignity.

Surviving Lebanon’s deadliest hour

Sana Basim, Head of Programmes for Islamic Relief Lebanon looks back on the country’s ‘Black Wednesday’ – the deadliest day of bombing in many years.

Lebanon carries many dates etched into its memory, days of loss, pain, and survival. But 8 April will remain one of the ugliest scars, a date marked by inhumanity, injustice, and brutal violence that cannot be forgotten.

Despite the 2024 ceasefire, Israeli violations never truly ceased. Attacks on southern Lebanon continued, relentless and normalised. Then came the escalation following the US‑Israel‑Iran war, triggering mass displacement across the country. Nearly 20% of Lebanon’s population was forced from their homes. Once again, civilians paid the highest price.

Islamic Relief Lebanon has been among the frontline responders, working tirelessly to support conflict‑affected communities. In the days following this deadliest hour, I spoke with several displaced people. What struck me most was not their words but their silence. They didn’t know what to say. Yet one fear, unspoken but unavoidable, was written clearly on their faces:

Are we going to become another Gaza?

Will the world let that happen to us, the way it let it happen to Palestinians in Gaza?

Their silence was deafening. So were the questions in their eyes.

As a humanitarian worker, someone who speaks about humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law, and justice, I found myself utterly speechless. In moments like this, those concepts felt hollow. For the people of Lebanon, they had become words on paper, stripped of meaning, value, and protection.

A day like any other

April 8 began like any other day of crisis. My team was distributing water in one of the shelters in Beirut, while I was preparing situation reports and drafting emergency response plans. Since the war began, Islamic Relief Lebanon has been operating in a hybrid modality: staff living outside Beirut working remotely or coming in when needed, while Beirut‑based staff continued to report to the office. That Wednesday was no different.

Then I heard a loud sound.

At first, I thought it was Israeli jets breaking the sound barrier, something they often do, which terrorises the population. But then came another blast. And another.

We gathered in one room where we could see thick grey smoke rising into the sky. Panic set in. Phones started ringing with non-stop calls, messages, alerts. Shock, fear, disbelief filled the space. HR immediately launched a headcount poll on our staff WhatsApp group to make sure everyone was safe. The security focal point rushed to contact the distribution team.

One of the airstrikes had landed just 3 kilometres away from Islamic Relief distributions but all staff remained safe.

The team reported chaos at the shelter. Children were crying and screaming. The sound of the strikes was overwhelming. Smoke filled the air. The smell of explosives was strong and suffocating. Fear was everywhere.

Soon after, videos began flooding our phones. They felt unreal like scenes from a movie, except this was real life. Bombs dropping everywhere. People crying and running. Ambulance sirens cutting through the air. People honking on the roads as panic spread. Many abandoned their cars in the middle of the street and ran, desperate to escape.

Within minutes, Beirut, the city of life, movement, and resilience—turned into a horror scene.

Later, media reported that over 100 airstrikes were carried out in just 10 minutes, without any prior warning. Residential and commercial buildings were hit. People went missing. More than 300 casualties were reported, with hundreds more injured.

That hour changed everything.

And for many, survival itself became an act of resistance.

A fragile, temporary, peace

Last night, a 10-day ceasefire was announced – a welcome piece of news but one which is being met with some scepticism in Lebanon.

The agreement applies only to the part of the country lying north of the Litani river and, more worryingly, only to air-based attacks and not Israel’s ground invasion.

People remain fearful that fighting will break out again after the 10-day pause, if it even lasts that long.

Islamic Relief hopes the ceasefire holds and urges international government with leverage and all parties involved to ensure that it is fully respected.

Islamic Relief is working to support vulnerable communities in Lebanon throughout this crisis. Please help us to continue this life-saving work. Donate to our International Emergency Appeal today.

Floods devastate communities in Chikwawa, Malawi following days of heavy rain

MALAWI, 1 April 2026 – Continuous heavy rains between 15 and 19 March have since triggered widespread flooding across multiple districts, with Chikwawa District among the hardest hit.

In Chikwawa, rising water levels in the Shire and Mwanza rivers have led to loss of lives, displacement of families, destruction of homes, and disruption of key access routes. The Chikwawa–Nsanje road at Bereu Trading Centre remains impassable, further limiting humanitarian access to affected communities.

Urgent needs on the ground include temporary shelter such as tarpaulins, tents, and plastic sheets, as well as food assistance including maize flour, beans, cooking oil, salt, and sugar.

Affected families also require essential non-food items such as kitchen utensils, blankets, mosquito nets, soap, chlorine, and emergency latrines. Support for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), particularly through sanitation assistance and water treatment, is also critical.

Response efforts by Islamic Relief are ongoing. The Emergency Response Team is conducting further needs assessments in collaboration with the Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS), while also participating in inter-agency assessments led by the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) and UN partners.

Activities include physical verification of affected households, continuous monitoring of the evolving situation, and planning for potential food and non-food item distributions.

As the situation continues to develop, coordinated humanitarian action remains crucial to support affected families and ensure timely assistance reaches those in need.

Lebanon: Families forced from their homes face appalling conditions

Families in Lebanon are trapped in appalling conditions after being forced to leave their homes under bombardment and Israeli military evacuation orders, Islamic Relief says.

Hundreds of thousands of people – including elderly and sick people and young children – have been ordered to leave the south of the capital city, Beirut, and large parts of southern Lebanon and head north. Public shelters in communal buildings such as schools are becoming desperately overcrowded. Waves of intense airstrikes have hit homes and shops and turned parts of southern Beirut into rubble.

Mohammed Taleb, an Islamic Relief aid worker in Beirut, said:

“People are terrified and fleeing in panic, but the conditions in the shelters are appalling. Up to 25 people are sleeping in a classroom, there’s only one hour of electricity a day, rubbish is piling up, and there isn’t enough water. There are no locks on doors, which puts people at risk, especially women and girls. There is no heating and the nights are cold. We went to one shelter that can officially host 75 families, but 120 have already arrived. But these families are the lucky ones – many more people spent the night on the side of a road.”

Families forced to flee urgently require food, drinking water, hygiene kits, mattresses, blankets, and fuel for generators. Islamic Relief teams are delivering aid to displaced families but supplies are likely to run out in the coming week if the attacks and forced displacement orders continue.

Islamic Relief is calling for urgent de-escalation across the Middle East. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected, in accordance with international law. People must not be forced to leave their homes, and must be assured safe access to humanitarian assistance.

The displacement orders issued by Israel yesterday mirror those previously seen in Gaza, where civilians were forced to immediately leave their homes without knowing whether they would ever be able to return. Many who did return found their neighbourhoods completely flattened.

100 SK Kajang students receive school aid through Cheer To School programme

KAJANG, 23 January 2026 – A total of 100 students from Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Kajang, Bandar Kajang received school assistance through the Cheer To School (CTS) programme, an annual initiative aimed at supporting students from underprivileged families.

The programme is fully sponsored by Maybank Islamic, with Islamic Relief Malaysia (IR Malaysia) as the implementing partner. The beneficiaries comprise Level 1 and Level 2 students who were identified as needing support for school essentials.

Each student received a school bag, stationery set, files, water bottle, coloured pencils, pencil case, lunch box, as well as a RM100 voucher to purchase additional school necessities such as uniforms, shoes and socks.

Islamic Relief Malaysia’s Chief Executive Officer, Siti Fadilah Mohd Hood, said the programme is expected to ease the financial burden of parents while motivating students to continue striving for excellence in their studies.

“We hope this Cheer To School assistance will provide relief to parents and allow students to start the school term with greater confidence and motivation,” she said.

She added that in addition to school supplies, the vouchers give families the flexibility to purchase items based on their children’s specific needs.

Meanwhile, SK Kajang Aid and Welfare Unit Coordinator, Wan Zuraifah Wan Abdullah, said that the majority of students at the school come from asnaf and low-income families.

“These children are very eager to learn, but they face financial constraints. Some still wear their siblings’ school uniforms and use their bags, and some of them are orphans,” she said.

According to her, the contribution clearly brought joy to the students who received the assistance.

“SK Kajang is truly grateful and would like to express its highest appreciation to Maybank Islamic, Islamic Relief Malaysia, and all parties involved,” she added.

One of the beneficiaries, Amira, a Year 3 student, expressed her happiness upon receiving the school supplies.

“My mother works as a babysitter and my father is a security guard. I’m very happy to receive these school items. I can share them with my younger sibling,” she said.

Overall, Maybank Islamic has sponsored 1,450 students across five states; Selangor, Kelantan, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak and benefiting students from more than 30 schools nationwide.

The CTS programme remains one of IR Malaysia’s key initiatives in ensuring more equitable access to education for underprivileged students in Malaysia.

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