05:02Abdullah Siami, a 95-year-old Palestinian man, described living through 'two Nakbas' - the 1948 war and the 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict - speaking in Gaza on Saturday.
"I experienced both the Nakba when I was eighteen years old in 1948, and I witnessed all the events in the year 1967 (Six Day War)," he explained. "Leaving our homeland, the land and the country was very difficult. Then, this [Israel-Hamas 2023] war started…this war is, in fact, harsher and even worse.”
'Nakba', meaning 'catastrophe', conventionally refers to the displacement of the Palestinian people during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
“It is very evident, the last war did not see martyrs like today's war," he continued. "Today's war is tough because of the number of martyrs and what we experienced here; there are hundreds and even thousands of martyrs here, while the previous war did not have all these numbers of martyrs.”
He added that he had lost two sons and their families in the current conflict.
"One died along with his wife and small child, while the other died with his daughter. They are five people. We went to Al-Aqsa [hospital in Gaza] and prayed over them before they were buried. I keep crying as losing five members of my family is unbearable," he said.
Siami also recalled his personal experiences of 1948, which saw 700,000 Palestinians displaced following the establishment of the state of Israel.
"Some people rode donkeys, and others stood in a long queue and began to walk," he recounted. "Two families, a man and his wife and children, remained in the country, but after a week they (the Israeli army) drove them out and ordered them to follow their families."
On what the future might bring, Siami said that 'hope, high morale and faith' would get him through whatever was to come.
The United Nations General Assembly partitioned Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, although tensions with Arab nations led to the 1948 war, Israel's declaration of independence. and mass displacements of Palestinians.
Monday also marks the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war, which began with the militant group's attack on southern Israel and the IDF's subsequent, ongoing airstrikes and ground incursion in the enclave. Around 1,139 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed in the initial assault according to Israel, while the ensuing Gaza war has led to over 40,000 deaths according to the Palestinian side.
'I experienced two Nakbas' - 95-year-old Palestinian remembers 1948 war, says Israel’s Gaza offensive 'even worse'
Abdullah Siami, a 95-year-old Palestinian man, described living through 'two Nakbas' - the 1948 war and the 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict - speaking in Gaza on Saturday.
"I experienced both the Nakba when I was eighteen years old in 1948, and I witnessed all the events in the year 1967 (Six Day War)," he explained. "Leaving our homeland, the land and the country was very difficult. Then, this [Israel-Hamas 2023] war started…this war is, in fact, harsher and even worse.”
'Nakba', meaning 'catastrophe', conventionally refers to the displacement of the Palestinian people during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
“It is very evident, the last war did not see martyrs like today's war," he continued. "Today's war is tough because of the number of martyrs and what we experienced here; there are hundreds and even thousands of martyrs here, while the previous war did not have all these numbers of martyrs.”
He added that he had lost two sons and their families in the current conflict.
"One died along with his wife and small child, while the other died with his daughter. They are five people. We went to Al-Aqsa [hospital in Gaza] and prayed over them before they were buried. I keep crying as losing five members of my family is unbearable," he said.
Siami also recalled his personal experiences of 1948, which saw 700,000 Palestinians displaced following the establishment of the state of Israel.
"Some people rode donkeys, and others stood in a long queue and began to walk," he recounted. "Two families, a man and his wife and children, remained in the country, but after a week they (the Israeli army) drove them out and ordered them to follow their families."
On what the future might bring, Siami said that 'hope, high morale and faith' would get him through whatever was to come.
The United Nations General Assembly partitioned Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, although tensions with Arab nations led to the 1948 war, Israel's declaration of independence. and mass displacements of Palestinians.
Monday also marks the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war, which began with the militant group's attack on southern Israel and the IDF's subsequent, ongoing airstrikes and ground incursion in the enclave. Around 1,139 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed in the initial assault according to Israel, while the ensuing Gaza war has led to over 40,000 deaths according to the Palestinian side.
Abdullah Siami, a 95-year-old Palestinian man, described living through 'two Nakbas' - the 1948 war and the 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict - speaking in Gaza on Saturday.
"I experienced both the Nakba when I was eighteen years old in 1948, and I witnessed all the events in the year 1967 (Six Day War)," he explained. "Leaving our homeland, the land and the country was very difficult. Then, this [Israel-Hamas 2023] war started…this war is, in fact, harsher and even worse.”
'Nakba', meaning 'catastrophe', conventionally refers to the displacement of the Palestinian people during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
“It is very evident, the last war did not see martyrs like today's war," he continued. "Today's war is tough because of the number of martyrs and what we experienced here; there are hundreds and even thousands of martyrs here, while the previous war did not have all these numbers of martyrs.”
He added that he had lost two sons and their families in the current conflict.
"One died along with his wife and small child, while the other died with his daughter. They are five people. We went to Al-Aqsa [hospital in Gaza] and prayed over them before they were buried. I keep crying as losing five members of my family is unbearable," he said.
Siami also recalled his personal experiences of 1948, which saw 700,000 Palestinians displaced following the establishment of the state of Israel.
"Some people rode donkeys, and others stood in a long queue and began to walk," he recounted. "Two families, a man and his wife and children, remained in the country, but after a week they (the Israeli army) drove them out and ordered them to follow their families."
On what the future might bring, Siami said that 'hope, high morale and faith' would get him through whatever was to come.
The United Nations General Assembly partitioned Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, although tensions with Arab nations led to the 1948 war, Israel's declaration of independence. and mass displacements of Palestinians.
Monday also marks the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war, which began with the militant group's attack on southern Israel and the IDF's subsequent, ongoing airstrikes and ground incursion in the enclave. Around 1,139 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed in the initial assault according to Israel, while the ensuing Gaza war has led to over 40,000 deaths according to the Palestinian side.