Palestinians at home and in Shataat marked the 45th anniversary of Land Day, which falls on March 30 of every year, with rallies and marches in Palestinian Arab towns inside Israel, as well as the occupied territories.
Rallies were held in Palestinian towns where the Israeli police shot and killed six Palestinian citizens in Israel while protesting against the Israeli government’s colonial plans to illegally appropriate thousands of dunums of Arab land. The violent and tragic events of March 30, 1976, are commemorated by millions of Palestinians ever since.
In 2018, also on Land Day, hundreds of thousands in the besieged Gaza Strip launched what became known as the Great March of Return. Their demands included the end of the Israeli siege on the impoverished Strip and the Right of Return for Palestinian refugees who were expelled from their land in 1948.
Last year, the Gaza authorities were compelled to cancel the weekly activities affiliated with the March of Return due to the spread of COVID-19. Today, however, many Gazans returned to areas near the fence separating Israel from besieged Gaza to commemorate Land Day and their own popular movement. Over 300 Palestinians were killed in Gaza since the launch of the March of Return.
Below, are exclusive photos from Palestine Chronicle photojournalist in Gaza, Fawzi Mahmoud, illustrating some of the popular and political activities at the fence.
(All Photos: Fawzi Mahmoud, The Palestine Chronicle)
(Palestine Chronicle, WAFA, Social Media)
