Testimonies of an Ongoing Nakba
Ghalia Muqbil, 87, lives in Al-‘Arrub Camp near Hebron. She was displaced from Iraq al-Manshiyya and still keeps her house key and belongings from the time.
She says: “I miss my village deeply, but I expect the occupation army will kill me as they killed my father.”
She remembers: “We were fetching water. When we returned, soldiers shot my father in the leg. As we tried to help him, they shot him in the head… his brain fell on his shoe.”
Her family buried him under harsh conditions before fleeing. Ghalia lost her entire family and now lives alone.
Ahmad Mustafa Al-Najjar, 82, has lived in Al-Fawwar Camp since 1949 after being displaced from Al-Faluja in 1948.
He recalls: “When our house was bombed, 16 relatives died, including two of my sisters.”
“We fled barefoot to Idhna. My mother hid us in an abandoned grave for a day before we reached the camp.”
They lived in tents, sleeping on the ground.
Years later, he visited Al-Faluja and saw the ruins of his home, school, and mosque.
He brought back soil, a stone, wheat, and the key to his family’s house—symbols of memory and hope.
Abdel Aziz Ghattasha, 88, from Al-Fawwar Camp, was displaced from Bayt Jibrin in 1948.
He says: “A handful of Bayt Jibrin’s soil means more to me than the whole world.”
He hopes to kiss its soil before he dies.
“The worst word I’ve ever heard is Nakba… My will to my children and grandchildren: never forget the right of return.”
