15/05/2026
On the 78th commemoration of the Nakba, we reaffirm the right of every Palestinian woman and man to their land, to work, and to a dignified life, as fundamental rights that do not expire over time. The Nakba of 1948 was not merely a forced displacement of the population; it marked a foundational moment in the dismantling of the Palestinian economic structure. The uprooting of Palestinians from their land was accompanied by the large-scale confiscation of agricultural lands and productive assets, including fields, workshops, markets, and sources of livelihood that once formed the backbone of the local economy. Palestinians were thus deprived not only of place but of their ability to work and produce, transforming hundreds of thousands into refugees stripped of their means of living, in a process of economic dispossession.
The impact of this dispossession did not end at a specific historical moment; rather, it has continued to reshape the Palestinian labour market over decades. Palestinians were pushed from being producers on their own land into workers with restricted access to resources, dependent on unstable employment, or entirely excluded from the labour market. Today, this historical trajectory is reflected in an unprecedented collapse of the Palestinian labour market.
In this context, data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics indicate that the Palestinian population reached approximately 15.5 million worldwide by the end of 2025, with around 8.1 million living outside Palestine, including about 5.9 million registered refugees with UNRWA. This reality reflects the ongoing condition of displacement and dispossession that began with the Nakba in 1948, along with the continued loss of land, livelihoods, and means of production.
In the Gaza Strip in particular, where mass displacement and the destruction of infrastructure prevail, the Nakba is being reproduced through contemporary means. Displacement no longer entails the loss of shelter alone, but the loss of any possibility of work or production, amid the destruction of economic facilities and the disruption of supply chains. Estimates by OCHA indicate that more than 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza have been internally displaced, alongside widespread destruction of housing and infrastructure. According to UN assessments, more than 81% of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed, including a large number of economic establishments, leading to a near-total paralysis of productive activities and livelihoods.
In the West Bank, this reality takes a different form through restrictions on movement and access to workplaces. More than 1,200 fixed and mobile checkpoints and obstacles restrict workers’ movement, limiting their access to livelihoods and falling short of basic occupational safety and health standards. Accordingly, the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Centre affirms that what workers are experiencing today is a continuation of the ongoing Nakba and reiterates the right to safe and decent work and to dignified livelihoods.
