85-Year-Old Nakba Survivor Calls Gaza War a Second Nakba

Context Abdel Mahdi was born in 1940 in Bir al‑Saba (Beersheba). As a child he walked with his family to Gaza after Zionist forces captured their town in 1948, joining the exodus of about 750,000 Palestinians known as the Nakba. He settled in the Jabalia refugee camp, where he built a life, worked in Israel, and raised his brother’s five sons. Decades of blockade and periodic wars have shaped his experience, but he says the destruction since October 2023 surpasses anything he has seen. Today he lives in a partially destroyed home in Jabalia, sharing a small fire with his wife Aziza and the five sons of his late brother. Despite losing land and possessions, he insists he will not abandon the soil of his ancestors, echoing the right of return that his father and grandfather taught him.

Key Facts He describes living through a Nakba at the start of his life and another at its end. He states that over half of Gaza’s land has been seized by Israel. The original 1948 event displaced roughly 750,000 Palestinians from their homes. At 85, he is among the oldest living witnesses to the 1948 expulsion.

What It Means His testimony links personal memory to broader patterns of displacement, showing how historic trauma echoes in present conflict. The claim that more than fifty percent of Gaza’s territory is under Israeli control underscores the scale of territorial change observers are monitoring. Analysts will watch whether international pressure leads to a cease‑fire, how reconstruction efforts address land‑ownership disputes, and whether the right of return gains renewed traction in diplomatic talks. Humanitarian groups also warn that continued fighting risks deepening the trauma for elders like Abdel Mahdi, making protection of civilians a urgent priority.