Video | The 78th "Disaster Day": Palestinians Hold Protests: We Will Not Leave

This May 15 marks the 78th "Nakba Day" for Palestine. On May 15, 1948, the day after Israel declared its establishment, the first Arab-Israeli war broke out, and Israel occupied most of the Palestinian territories as defined by UN Resolution 181, forcing a large number of Palestinians to flee their homes and become refugees. The Palestinian side holds events every year to commemorate this day, and this year is no exception.

Recently, a large number of Palestinians held a demonstration in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip to commemorate "Nakba Day" and protest against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

Protester: This year's "Nakba Day" reminds our children that despite the immense destruction, genocide, bloody conflicts, and population displacement we have experienced, we still firmly believe that every Palestinian has the sacred right to return to their homeland.

Protester: Today we take to the streets to reaffirm that the sacred right of return will not be stripped away with the passage of time. Displacement is unacceptable, and the Palestinian people will not leave our land. Our slogan is, we will not leave; Israelis, you may destroy, but our roots will only grow deeper.

This year's "Nakba Day" comes more than six months after the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip took effect last October, but the Gaza Strip has still not returned to calm after the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with large areas of land still under Israeli military control. Locals say that the war is ongoing.

Gaza Health Department official Zahir Wahidi: Since the ceasefire agreement took effect, Israeli military attacks have continued, with Palestinians dying every day; at least 854 Palestinians have been killed. April was the month with the highest casualties since the ceasefire, with deaths increasing by more than 50% compared to previous months.

Displaced person Shadi Bis: There are only very few times when there is calm for several hours, let alone for days. Every day, various areas of the Gaza Strip are attacked and bombed, with assaults spread throughout the entire Gaza Strip. To be honest, there is no safe place to hide; the media says the war has stopped, but the truth is that the war has not stopped, with deaths and massacres occurring every day, and women and children continuously becoming orphans and widows.