Palestinians mark 59 years since Naksa amid continued wars in Gaza, occupied West Bank and Lebanon

Palestinians on Friday marked the 59th anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, known in Arabic as the “Naksa” (setback), amid ongoing Israeli military offensives in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Lebanon.

The June 1967 war ended with Israel occupying the remainder of historic Palestine, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, as well as Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and Syria’s Golan Heights.

This year’s anniversary comes as Palestinians face what officials describe as one of the most severe periods since the war, with Israel continuing military offensives in Gaza and expanding military and illegal settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.

Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across the enclave, according to Palestinian authorities.

In the occupied West Bank, 1,168 Palestinians have been killed, 12,666 injured, around 23,000 arrested, and 33,000 displaced since October 2023, according to the Palestinian government’s media office.

Israel has also carried out a large-scale military assault in Lebanon since March 2, killing 3,516 people and injuring 10,674 others, according to Lebanese official figures.

The war began on June 5, 1967, when Israel launched surprise air strikes against Egypt before fighting expanded to other Arab fronts. The war ended six days later with Israel occupying the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai Peninsula, and Golan Heights.

Although Israel later withdrew from Sinai under the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, it continues to occupy the West Bank and the Golan Heights, while East Jerusalem was annexed in a move not recognised internationally.