ActionAid Statement on the 78th Commemoration of the Nakba 15 May 2026
On the 78th commemoration of the Palestinian Nakba, ActionAid stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people as they continue to endure ongoing displacement, dispossession, and systematic violations of their rights.
Seventy-eight years after the Nakba of 1948, Palestinians continue to face ongoing forced displacement, home demolitions, land confiscation, and restrictions on movement and access to natural resources. Today, there are 15.5 million Palestinians worldwide, including 7.4 million living in historic Palestine and 8.1 million in the diaspora, a lasting reminder that the Nakba is not only a historical event, but an ongoing reality.
Since October 2023, nearly two million Palestinians in Gaza have been forcibly displaced, many multiple times, while more than 40,000 Palestinians in the northern West Bank have also been uprooted from their homes and refugee camps due to continuous Israeli military operations. Families are living in overcrowded shelters, tents, and destroyed neighborhoods, denied safety, dignity, and the basic conditions necessary for life.
The scale of destruction in Gaza is catastrophic. More than 102,000 buildings have been completely destroyed, including homes, schools, hospitals, universities, and vital civilian infrastructure. Over 70% of housing units across Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, while severe restrictions and attacks on water systems have pushed water availability in some areas to as low as 3–5 liters per person per day — far below the minimum humanitarian standard required for survival.
At the same time, Israeli settlement expansion and land confiscation continue across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. By the end of 2025, the number of settlers in the West Bank had reached more than 778,000, while Palestinian communities continue to face increasing settler violence, home demolitions, movement restrictions, and the confiscation of agricultural land and water resources. Nearly 900 military checkpoints and gates across the West Bank further entrench fragmentation and restrict Palestinians’ freedom of movement, livelihoods, and access to essential services.
The human cost is devastating. Since October 2023, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 20,000 children and more than 12,000 women. Thousands of medical workers, journalists, educators, and civil defense staff have also lost their lives while serving their communities.
Yet despite decades of occupation, displacement, and violence, Palestinians continue to demonstrate extraordinary resilience, solidarity, and determination to remain on their land and defend their rights. Palestinian society remains young, educated, and deeply committed to life, justice, and collective dignity.
On this Nakba Day, ActionAid calls on the international community to move beyond statements of concern and take urgent, concrete action to uphold international law, end impunity, and address the root causes of injustice and displacement faced by Palestinians.
We call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza; an end to forced displacement, home demolitions, and settlement expansion; the protection of civilians and unhindered humanitarian access; accountability for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and the protection of Palestinians’ rights to land, water, movement, dignity, and self-determination.
The Nakba continues, but so does Palestinian resistance, resilience, and hope. Palestinians deserve not only survival, but freedom, justice, and the right to live in dignity on their land.
About ActionAid International
ActionAid International is a global federation working with more than 41 million people across over 72 of the world’s poorest countries. We strive for a world founded on justice and sustainability, where everyone enjoys a life of dignity, freedom, and a world free from poverty and oppression. Our work focuses on achieving social justice, gender equality, and eradicating poverty.
ActionAid began its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people, grounded in their right to freedom, justice, and self-determination. In Palestine, ActionAid implements various programmes through engagement with Palestinian communities, youth groups, and women. We aim to empower women and young people, enhance their effective civic and political participation, deepen their understanding of their rights, and mobilize them to engage in collective action to address rights violations resulting from prolonged occupation. Additionally, we work to strengthen their leadership capacities and support them in practicing active citizenship by holding authorities and other duty bearers accountable.
For more information, please contact:
Riham Jafari
Communications and Advocacy coordinator – ActionAid Palestine