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May. 22, 2021 5:08 PM
When the phone rang and the words “private number” appeared on the screen, Khaled and his nephew Bilal, who was with him by chance, assumed that someone from the Israeli army or the Shin Bet security service was calling. They were right.
Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza, if not more, received a phone call during the 11 days of fighting only to hear someone from the Israeli military informing them that within an hour or a half hour, the building next to them would be bombed, or their building would be shelled because of someone living there.
Mohammed Al-Hajjar
For many people in Gaza, pieces of paper are their most treasured possessions. These are the deeds for land from which their families were expelled.
Adam al-Madhoun is the custodian of documents showing how his grandfather Salim owned a 37 acre farm in Majdal.
Located on the southern coast of historic Palestine, Majdal was seized by the newly formed Israeli army in November 1948. A mass expulsion of its residents occurred then.
Those who managed to stay put came under attack by Israel again in December the following year.
The remaining Palestinians left Majdal as a result of that attack, mainly ending up in Gaza’s refugee camps.
A Palestinian village in 1948: Anatomy of an Israeli massacre - World - Al-Ahram Weekly ahram.org.eg - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ahram.org.eg Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.