Nakba — expulsion and flight of 750,000 Palestinians during the 1948 Palestine war
The Nakba refers to the displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinian Arabs during the 1948 Palestine war, reshaping the demography and politics of the region.
Key Facts
- Palestinians displaced
- ~750,000 people
- Arab towns/villages depopulated
- over 500
- Land controlled by Israel post-war
- 78% of former Mandatory Palestine
- Nakba Day observed
- 15 May annually
- Massacres committed
- dozens targeting Palestinian Arabs
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1948 Palestine war arose from the end of the British Mandate and the proclamation of the State of Israel, amid longstanding Zionist settlement and Arab resistance. Zionist paramilitary forces and, subsequently, the newly formed IDF conducted military operations that drove Arab Palestinians from their homes through violence, massacre, and destruction of villages.
During 1948, approximately 750,000 Palestinian Arabs — roughly half the Arab population of Mandatory Palestine — were expelled or fled their homes. Over 500 Arab-majority towns and villages were depopulated, many destroyed or repopulated with Jewish settlers under new Hebrew names. Dozens of massacres occurred, and biological warfare including the poisoning of wells was employed against Palestinian communities.
By the war's end, Israel controlled 78% of Mandatory Palestine. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians became refugees, denied the right of return. The Nakba fractured Palestinian society and became the defining trauma of Palestinian national identity, while Israel's official narrative framed the same events as a necessary component of its War of Independence.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent