Free Palestine

77 Years of Atrocities: 1948 - 2025
A Partial Record of War Crimes

Before 1948: Pre-Nakba Land Acquisition
  • The British issued the Balfour Declaration (1917), supporting a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, encouraging Jewish immigration and settlement

  • Zionist organizations purchased land from absentee Arab landowners, often displacing many Palestinian tenant farmers

  • Land sales led to rising tensions as Palestinian farmers lost access to their traditional lands

  • British Mandate policies favored Zionist immigration and land acquisition, facilitating settlement growth

  • By 1947, Zionist organizations and settlers owned approximately 6-7% of historic Palestine's land.

    Note: By 1949-1950 (after the Nakba), Privately owned Jewish land totaled around 8%. Privately owned Arab land totaled around 6%. The remaining 86% became state land, managed by Israeli authorities.

  • Growing Zionist settlements created enclaves that isolated Palestinian communities and escalated conflict

1948: Nakba (The Catastrophe)
  • 700,000 Palestinians forcibly displaced
  • Over 400 Palestinian towns and villages destroyed

1956: Kafr Qasim Massacre
  • 48 Palestinian civilians killed, including women and children
  • Victims were unaware of a last-minute curfew

1967: Six-Day War and Naksa (The Setback)
  • Israel occupied Gaza, West Bank, and East Jerusalem
  • 300,000 more Palestinians displaced

1982: Sabra and Shatila Massacre
  • 800 to 3,500 Palestinian refugees massacred by Israeli-backed Lebanese militias in Beirut
  • Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon found indirectly responsible by Israeli Kahan Commission

1987–1993: First Intifada (Uprising)
  • Widespread Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank
  • Israeli military responded with mass arrests, home demolitions, curfews, and lethal force against civilians
  • Over 1,000 Palestinians killed during the uprising

1994: Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre (Hebron Massacre)
  • Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein murdered 29 Palestinian worshippers inside the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron
  • Israeli forces imposed severe movement restrictions on Palestinians in Hebron following the massacre

2000–2005: Second Intifada (Al-Aqsa Intifada)
  • Triggered by Ariel Sharon's provocative visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound
  • Israeli forces killed over 3,000 Palestinians, including hundreds of children
  • Extensive use of targeted assassinations, curfews, checkpoints, and home demolitions

2002: Jenin Refugee Camp Assault
  • Israeli army invaded the Jenin refugee camp during "Operation Defensive Shield"
  • At least 52 Palestinians killed, with large parts of the camp flattened by bulldozers

2005: Gaza Disengagement
  • Israel removed settlers from Gaza but retained control of airspace, borders, and maritime access
  • Marked the beginning of complete Israeli blockade after Hamas election victory in 2006

2006–Present: Gaza Blockade
  • Israel imposed a full land, sea, and air blockade on Gaza, creating a severe humanitarian crisis
  • Restricted access to food, medicine, fuel, and basic goods, with devastating effects on civilians

2008–2009: Operation Cast Lead (Gaza War)
  • 1,400 Palestinians killed, including over 300 children
  • Use of white phosphorus in civilian areas documented

2014: Operation Protective Edge
  • 2,200 Palestinians killed, including over 500 children
  • Entire neighborhoods, hospitals, and schools destroyed

2018: Great March of Return Protests
  • Israeli snipers killed over 200 unarmed protesters in Gaza
  • Medics, journalists, and children were deliberately targeted

2023–2025: Gaza Genocide (last update: April/2025)
  • Over 62,000 Palestinians killed or missing, mostly women and children (a conservative estimate). True death toll may exceed (well over) 100,000 due to collapsed health reporting and bodies buried under rubble.

  • Bombing Scale: Israel has reportedly dropped 70,000 - 100,000 tons of explosives on Gaza - equivalent to 4-7 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs.

  • Systematic Destruction: Entire neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, refugee camps, and aid convoys have been bombed. Over 210,000 buildings have been completely destroyed, based on radar imaging analysis. Most of the remaining buildings are damaged, unsafe, or lack basic services, leaving much of Gaza uninhabitable for years or decades.

  • Mass Starvation: Nearly half a million people face catastrophic food shortages. 93-96% of Gaza's population is experiencing crisis-level hunger; up to 22% are at risk of famine.

  • Child Malnutrition Crisis: Over 5,000 children hospitalized in May 2025 alone for acute malnutrition. An estimated 71,000 children and 17,000 mothers urgently need treatment.

  • Disease Outbreaks: More than 1.1 million cases of acute respiratory infections and over 669,000 cases of severe diarrhea have been reported. The collapse of Gaza's water, sanitation, and healthcare systems has accelerated the spread of disease.

  • Genocide and War Crimes: International legal experts and human rights organizations classify Israel's assault as genocide and a series of war crimes.


Sources... (one link among 100s of thousands throughout the world)

Opposing Genocide & Crimes Against Humanity

Active Partners Complicit in War Crimes

Current Palestinian News (quick start links)

License: CC0 (Public Domain)
Updated: 28 nov 2025

From the river to the sea...