Tensions between pro-Palestine, pro-Israel groups rise in US as hundreds mark 77th anniversary of Nakba

By Silan Turp and Asiye Latife Yilmaz

NEW YORK / ISTANBUL (AA) – Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched in New York City on Thursday to mark the 77th anniversary of Nakba, leading to clashes with pro-Israel groups.

Tensions escalated into scuffles between protesters, waving Palestinian flags and banners reading "Resisting the Nakba since 1948" to condemn Israel's attacks on Gaza, and a group of supporters of Israel.

Several people were detained as police intervened in the scuffles.

People around the world marked May 15 as the 77th anniversary of expulsion of Palestinians from their towns in historical Palestine after the creation of Israel in 1948.

In 1948, more than 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their towns and villages.

The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 53,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.