Many participants show their dedication to the Palestinian cause by participating in the yearly remembrance event.
the Gaza Strip At this year’s Land Day celebration in the Gaza Strip, hundreds of Palestinians came together to show their unwavering resistance to Israeli oppression.
People carrying Palestinian flags and banners with the slogans “We won’t forget our homeland” and “We won’t forget our right of return” attended the march on Thursday in the east of the beleaguered enclave.
The Land Day protests began on March 30, 1976, when six unarmed Palestinians were killed by Israeli police while participating in demonstrations against Israel’s confiscation of substantial amounts of land held by Palestinians.
The event this year took place once more in a volatile situation, as settler-related violence against Palestinians in Israel has risen to its highest levels since 2006.
A number of the young guys who were on the opposite side of the border on Thursday suffered respiratory problems after being hit by tear gas shot by Israeli troops stationed in eastern Gaza across the fence.
The Land Day protests began on March 30, 1976, when six unarmed Palestinians were killed by Israeli police while participating in demonstrations against Israel’s confiscation of substantial amounts of land held by Palestinians.
The event this year took place once more in a volatile situation, as settler-related violence against Palestinians in Israel has risen to its highest levels since 2006.
A number of the young guys who were on the opposite side of the border on Thursday suffered respiratory problems after being hit by tear gas shot by Israeli troops stationed in eastern Gaza across the fence.
Al-Hindi stated that “[Smotrich’s] statements that the Palestinian people have no history are just lies uncovered by history,” which has documented the Palestinian existence for thousands of years.
A senior member of the Islamic Jihad movement, Khaled al-Batsh, responded by stating that “national unity in the sphere of struggle is imperative in view of the changes taking place in the Palestinian lands and the world.”
He remarked, referring to the political umbrella organization founded in 1964, “A national reference must be developed to reconstruct the Palestine Liberation Organization so that it returns to its purpose for which it was started, which is return, liberation, and resisting the occupier.”
Al-Hindi stated that “[Smotrich’s] statements that the Palestinian people have no history are just lies uncovered by history,” which has documented the Palestinian existence for thousands of years.
A senior member of the Islamic Jihad movement, Khaled al-Batsh, responded by stating that “national unity in the sphere of struggle is imperative in view of the changes taking place in the Palestinian lands and the world.”
He remarked, referring to the political umbrella organization founded in 1964, “A national reference must be developed to reconstruct the Palestine Liberation Organization so that it returns to its purpose for which it was started, which is return, liberation, and resisting the occupier.”
Um Ahmad al-Banna, a rally participant, told Al Jazeera how much the memorial ceremony means to her.
I come today to declare that, regardless of what we lost, we will uphold our right of return.
Since being shot in the leg by Israeli soldiers in September 2019 while participating in weekly rallies near the fence known as the March of Return, the 47-year-old mother of nine has been confined to a wheelchair. In the 2018–2019 protests, more than 200 Palestinians were killed—mostly by Israeli sniper fire—and many more were injured.
Al-Banna stated, “Since then, I have endured enormous suffering.” “The last four years have been quite challenging. They claim there is no hope, so the doctor chose to amputate my leg,” she continued.
Even though my involvement in the Return marches was entirely peaceful, the Israeli occupation used excessive force against us and many young people who have since suffered from lifelong disabilities.
Salem al-Sousi, 67, claimed to have participated in the Land Day observance each year.
He told Al Jazeera, “We’re within a few meters from our occupied territories in 1948, and here we express our devotion to our right to return to our homeland, from which the Israeli occupation drove our fathers out.
Almost two million people reside in the Gaza Strip, which has been subject to an Israeli-imposed land, sea, and air embargo for the past 15 years. With Palestinians requiring Israeli army permits to enter and exit the Strip, it has been termed the largest open-air prison in the world.
The population of the Gaza Strip, which is 80% dependent on humanitarian aid, also experiences frequent power outages and severe unemployment.
“We protested for two years near the Gaza border to demand the right of return and the lifting of the siege, to no avail. It was a peaceful sit-in, but the Israeli army met us with bullets,” al-Sousi added.
“The Palestinian people, women, youth and children, cling to their right, and days will not make us forget our right of return.”
“For two years, we demonstrated along the Gaza border, calling for the easing of the siege and the right of re-entry. While it was a nonviolent sit-in, the Israeli soldiers shot at us, al-Sousi continued.
The Palestinian women, children, and youth hold to their rights, and we will not allow the days to make us forget our right to return.
