Every year on 30 March, Palestinians commemorate Land Day, a powerful symbol of resistance against land confiscation, forced displacement, and erasure. The day marks the killing of six unarmed Palestinian citizens of Israel by Israeli forces in 1976, during protests against a government plan to expropriate large swathes of Arab-owned land in the Galilee.
Land Day began in response to an Israeli government decision in 1976 to seize around 20,000 dunams of land (approximately 20 square kilometres) between the towns of Sakhnin and Arraba in the northern Galilee.
Much of this land was privately owned by Palestinian citizens of Israel, but the confiscation was framed by the state as being "for public use".
In reality, the move formed part of a broader strategy known as the Judaisation of the Galilee - a demographic campaign aimed at increasing the Jewish population in Palestinian-majority areas.
The policy provoked mass protests and a general strike across Arab towns in Israel, marking the first time that Palestinian citizens of Israel organised such a large-scale collective action.
The protests were met with deadly force. Israeli police and military killed six unarmed demonstrators - three of them women - and injured around 100 others. Hundreds were arrested. The killings sent shockwaves through Palestinian society and are remembered as a turning point in Palestinian political consciousness inside Israel.
Shadow of war
Nearly five decades later, Land Day resonates more than ever, particularly in Gaza, where Palestinians are marking the occasion in the shadow of a devastating war that has entered its second year.
As the Israeli onslaught continues and displacement deepens, Land Day this year reflects not only on past land theft but also on continued attempts to uproot Palestinians from their land once again.
"They want to repeat the Nakba of 1948 and the Naksa of 1967," said Mahmoud al-Khawaja, a farmer from Khan Younis who has been unable to reach his land for months. "But we have nowhere else to go. It's either Gaza or our original homes inside Palestine."
On Saturday, Hamas reaffirmed its rejection of any plans that would displace, resettle and create an alternative homeland for the Palestinians.
"We are deeply rooted in our land, and there is no sovereignty or legitimacy for the occupation over even a square inch of it, especially Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque," the group said.
Hamas also reaffirmed that the right of return for refugees to their homes and lands is an indivisible and collective right that cannot be erased by time.
The movement called on the Arab world and supporters of the Palestinian cause to intensify solidarity efforts with Palestinians in Gaza and to exert pressure to end Israeli aggression on the enclave.
Land Day around the world
Around the world, Palestinians and supporters marked Land Day with protests and rallies calling for an end to the war on Gaza.
On Saturday, demonstrations took place across several cities in Germany, Britain, and France, where protesters expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people and demanded an immediate halt to Israel's military offensive.
In Dortmund, Bonn, and Frankfurt, Palestinian, Arab, and pro-Palestine groups organised protests and sit-ins, though authorities reportedly intervened to disperse some of the gatherings.
In Berlin, demonstrators led by Jewish Voice, along with movements such as Eyes on Palestine and Palestine Resists, rallied at Potsdam Square.
They called on the German government to stop supplying arms to Israel and to take action to end the bloodshed in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.
In Paris, the group Euro Palestine held a silent march under the slogan "Palestine cannot be taken or sold". The procession moved from Gare de l’Est to Châtelet, with participants carrying symbolic coffins representing Palestinian children killed in the war.
The resonance between 1976 and 2025 is not lost on Palestinians, with many stating that the historical logic of "public need" used to justify land confiscation in the Galilee mirrors today’s narratives, including claims that Gaza is "uninhabitable" and must be emptied or resettled elsewhere.
Palestinian analysts warned that such language is being used to normalise the idea of population transfer, rather than rebuild or restore what war has destroyed.
"Land Day reminds us that we've faced these plans before," said Fatima al-Dayya, a resident of Gaza City. "But we are still here, and we will stay."
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