destroyed Palestinian villages

The mosque in Dayr al-Shaykh, one of the last remaining structures in the destroyed Palestinian village, west of Jersualem, from "The Erasure of Palestine." (Ahmad Al-Bazz)

A Palestinian photographer’s ‘search for what remained’ from 1948

When Nablus-based journalist Ahmad Al-Bazz received an Israeli travel permit, he rushed to visit nearly 200 villages depopulated in the Nakba. Five years later, his new book offers a powerful visual archive of erasure.

By Yahel Gazit May 12, 2026

A protester waves the Palestinian flag toward Israeli soldiers standing on the other side of the fence encaging Gaza, during the "Great March of Return," east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, October 18, 2019. (Mohammed Zaanoun/Activestills)

What a real ‘day after’ for Gaza could look like

Many of those displaced by the genocide are already Nakba refugees. Activists are mapping out how they could return to their original homes from pre-1948.

By Yahav Erez April 22, 2026

People gather near the entrance to the the church at the Christmas market in Bir'im, Dec. 13, 2025. (Anna Maria Hawa)

In the Galilee hills, Christmas celebrations revive a depopulated Palestinian village

After a two-year absence, displaced residents and their descendants returned to Bir'im — part of efforts since 1948 to keep the community alive.

By Samah Watad December 24, 2025

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Rachel Beitarie, Executive Director of the left-wing Israeli NGO Zochrot, sits in front of the Jaffa Clock Tower. Around 95% of Jaffa's Palestinian population fled or were expelled during the Nakba. (Oren Ziv)

The Israeli left has broken the Nakba taboo. Will the right of return be next?

The past year has seen many left-wing Israeli groups looking beyond the occupation to confront the legacies of 1948, but they remain divided over redressing the exile of Palestinian refugees through return.

By Ben Reiff June 23, 2022

The Village of Zachariah in Southern Palestine, 1900-1926. (American Colony Jerusalem/Library of Congress)

How a 14th century document breathes life into a destroyed Palestinian village

Israel's demolition of Zakariyya al-Battikh seemingly erased its centuries-long history. Two testimonies from the Mamluk era have helped revive its memory.

By Yossef Rapoport July 13, 2020

A 3D model of the rebuilt Palestinian village of al-Ghabisiyya. (Screenshot)

WATCH: 3D modeling helps visualize Palestinian right of return

For three years, a group of young Palestinian citizens of Israel has been meeting in order to imagine and plan their return to the destroyed villages from which their parents and grandparents were expelled. The project they initiated, “Udna” (“Return”), aims to give the younger generation an awareness of the Nakba, and to create actual…

By Social TV January 9, 2016

Palestinians put a sign marking the destroyed village of Lajjun in northern Israel, Nakba Day, May 15, 2015. (Photo by Omar Sameer/Activestills.org)

A small step toward recognizing the Nakba

Putting up signs marking destroyed Palestinian towns and villages could bring about a more moral discourse about the Nakba and its victims. By Eitan Bronstein Aparicio About two weeks ago, far from the public eye, something with potentially far-reaching and serious consequences occurred in Israel: An inspector on a local planning committee recommended that a sign…

By +972 Magazine December 19, 2015

Park Ayalon Canada (SocialTV Screenshot)

WATCH: ‘Canada Park’ built on destroyed Palestinian villages

Israel’s ‘Ayalon Canada Park,’ in the West Bank but abutting the Green Line, is full of cyclists and hikers enjoying the scenery and weather on any given Saturday. A visit to the park shows that few of the Israelis enjoying the trails and picnic sites know the story of the three Palestinian villages that were…

By Social TV December 17, 2013