“If I must die/you must live/to tell my story…. If I must die/let it bring hope/let it be a tale”.
These are the lines from the poem of Refaat Alareer, who was murdered along with his brother, sister and their children on 6 December 2023 in an Israeli airstrike in ongoing genocide in Gaza, Palestine. Just five weeks prior to his killing, he wrote the above poem and pinned it on his Twitter.
With these lines and other poems began the meeting to bring hope, to tell the tales of sacrifices and bravery of the people of Palestine. The meeting was organised on 2 July 2026 by the Indo Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) in New Delhi at the Press Club of India marking the 1000th day of the genocide inflicted upon Gaza by Israel since 7 October 2023. On this poetic base, the gathering was prepared for some hard and harsh facts and exposure of ulterior political motives of profit-oriented blood thirsty imperialist forces, because of which the beautiful land and life of Palestine is turned into a crisis and disaster.
Senior journalist and activist, Dr. Ranjan Solomon from Goa, was the main speaker of the day. He addressed the gathering on the subject: “Memory, Resistance, and the Unfinished Question: The Ongoing Nakba”. He came back from the West Bank, Palestine in June 2026. He shared the first-hand eyewitness account of the situation in Palestine. He said that 7 October 2023 is an important date because that day Israel began a fresh phase of repression and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people, but one must not forget that this is not a new thing. Palestinians do not remember the Nakba of 1948 as distant history. It is a continuing cruelty that worsens with each and every day.
Ranjan said that Nakba is a lived memory. Many families still preserve the keys to homes they can no longer enter. These keys are not merely heirlooms. They are symbols of a village remembered, of a home lost and most of all symbols of an injustice that remains unresolved. It is a refusal to allow history to be erased.
The story did not end in 1948. He said that we heard how the modern history of Palestine is inseparable from the intertwined histories of colonialism, nationalism, displacement, and competing claims to land and belonging. During the war surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948, approximately 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes. Hundreds of villages were depopulated or destroyed. Families were scattered across borders. A refugee crisis was born that remains unresolved to this day.
Ranjan said that Israel continues to invade Palestinian lands inflicting heightened cruelties on the Palestinian people. The question remains before the people who want a peaceful resolution of the crisis, “Can a Palestinian state still emerge when settlements continue to expand across the territory on which that state is supposed to be built?” The answer is plain. The Israeli Occupation must end and a just peace must emerge.
Special guest in the gathering, the Ambassador of the State of Palestine, Dr. Abdullah M Abu Shawesh expressed thanks to the IPSN for organizing the meaningful event to recall the tragic memories of the 1000th day of the genocide of Gazans. He confirmed that he was deeply touched by the unwavering solidarity and commitment to work for justice, freedom, and dignity for the Palestinian people. He also mentioned that he lost his cousin and his family members also were killed by Israel in the last few months. He said that when people say that Israel retaliated to the attack of Hamas, then they must ask the question, “What happened on 7 October 2023? Yes, the Palestinian warriors of Hamas went and attacked Israel, killed hundreds of the Israeli citizens and made around 200 Israeli citizens its hostages. But why? Why did Hamas do it? Simply because they were not able to tolerate the repression and brutality any more.
And please do not forget, who did it? Yes, Hamas did it. But what is Hamas? Once Hamas was created by the US to divide the Palestinian struggle. This is not a secret. This is available on the public platforms like google. It is very necessary to know the correct history. The Zionist project wants to erase history or falsify it. He mentioned that in 1917, Indian soldiers fought in Haifa in the British army, but that land was Palestine, not Israel, as so-called new stories are told. The name of Palestine comes in the mythological scriptures also which means it existed even when Israel didn’t exist. He said that Palestinian people are fighting not alone for themselves, but for truth and justice to prevail in the world. Palestine is also a synonym for bravery and truth.”
Noted journalist and editor of Newsclick, Prabir Purkayastha was also present in the gathering and was requested to make a brief intervention in the meeting. He said that first of all we should be clear that it is not a fight between two communities, i.e. Jews and Muslims. This is a shape given to the crisis created by the imperialist powers of the US and Israel. He reminded the gathering that Israel did not have natural rights to the land. They had invaded the place, prompted and supported by Europe. He asked how Europe could legitimately transfer the problem of rehabilitating the Jews in a region with which they had no real linkage. The West, notably America, enabled Israel to grow as a regional power with huge military support and economic aid which, today, amount to billions of dollars. This power has made it into a regional super power. Israel has been continuously engaged in decimating Palestinian Arabs and other neighboring countries. Prabir ended by saying that there is hope because the Palestinians have not given up. He recalled that when he visited the place, he met one old woman who told him, “We will not leave our country under any circumstances.” Their existence in such dire conditions is their resistance, their struggle for a free Palestinian state.
Noted activist Maimoona Mollah conducted the meeting. She read out a statement of solidarity with the struggling people of Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and other countries of West Asia. The meeting asserted that the prerequisite for freedom and liberation for Palestinians is an end to the Israeli Occupation and the beginning of a just peace.
In the beginning senior economist Dr. Jaya Mehta read the poem of Refaat Alareer, Dr. Syeda Hameed recited the verse of Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Dr. Joycia Thorat read the translated poems of Palestinian poets Mosab Abu Toha and Mahmoud Darwish. Vineet Tiwari read the translated poem of a Palestinian poetess Lisa Suhair Majaj. Prabir Purkayastha was felicitated for his struggle against the repressive state. CPI leader Comrade Annie Raja, known academic Prof. Chamanlal, Ish Mishra, journalist Ramsharan Joshi, poet Ajay Singh, youth leader Aparajitha Raja, Mukul Saral, journalist Manan Chintan, Abhishek Shrivastava, theatre critique Ravinder Tripthi, activist Manish Shrivastava, Bhasha Singh, activist Bejwada Wilson, writer Bajrang Bihari Tiwari, Sandesh Bhandare (Pune), Richa Chintan, Shirin, were also present in the hall full of audience.
In the end, eminent journalist John Dayal addressed the gathering. He informed the gathering that 226 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza by the IDF (Israeli Defence Force). Two-minute silence was observed to mourn the innocent lives lost since the first Nakba in 1948. The IPSN has further committed to expanding its movement by creating expanded campaigns and advocacy in support of freedom and liberation for Palestine.
