Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and in the diaspora marked Land Day on Monday, reaffirming their ties to their homeland as Israel continues land seizures and settlement expansion across the occupied territories.

The occasion marks the 50th anniversary of Land Day, which dates back to 1976, when Israeli authorities confiscated large swathes of Palestinian land, triggering protests that left several Palestinians dead and dozens injured.

Observed annually on March 30, the commemoration comes this year amid continued land appropriation, with official data indicating that around 6,000 dunams were seized in 2025 alone, alongside a surge in attacks by Israeli occupiers against Palestinian communities and property.

The anniversary coincides with a sharp escalation in Israeli seizure of Palestinian land, at a time when global attention remains focused on the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.

Roots of anniversary

The origins of Land Day date back to 1976, when Israeli authorities unveiled plans to expand Jewish settlements in the Galilee under what was termed the “Judaization of Galilee” project, involving land owned by Palestinian communities.

In February of that year, Israel approved the confiscation of about 21,000 dunams from Palestinian towns, including Sakhnin, Arraba, Deir Hanna, and Arab al-Sawaed.

Authorities imposed a curfew on the targeted areas ahead of anticipated protests on March 29, declaring demonstrations illegal. A general strike called for March 30 led to widespread protests, particularly in Arraba and Deir Hanna, which were met with force by Israeli police.

The crackdown left six Palestinians dead and dozens injured. No official investigation followed, while land confiscation and settlement policies have persisted ever since.

Settlement expansion

As Palestinians marked the anniversary this year, the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, a government body, said Israeli occupiers now control more than 42% of the West Bank.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel seized 5,557 dunams in 2025 and issued dozens of orders for land appropriation, including seizure, expropriation, and designation of land as “state property.”

The bureau said these measures form part of a broader policy aimed at tightening control over land and limiting Palestinian access to natural resources within the framework of ongoing annexation efforts.

The data also showed that Israeli authorities demolished around 1,400 Palestinian structures in 2025, including homes and facilities in East Jerusalem, alongside hundreds of demolition orders issued under the pretext of lacking permits.

By the end of 2024, there were 580 settlement sites and military locations across the West Bank, including 151 settlements and 256 outposts.

The occupier population reached more than 778,000, with a large concentration in East Jerusalem. Israeli occupiers account for about 23.2 per 100 Palestinians overall, rising significantly in the occupied territory.

In 2025 alone, Israeli forces and occupiers carried out more than 23,800 attacks against Palestinians, targeting individuals, land, and property. These attacks resulted in the destruction or damage of over 35,000 trees, most of them olive trees.

During the first two months of 2026, nearly 3,800 additional attacks were recorded, further restricting Palestinian access to agricultural and grazing land, with growing implications for food security.

Since Oct. 8, 2023, Israeli attacks in the West Bank have continued, including killings, demolitions, displacement, and settlement expansion, resulting in the deaths of 1,137 Palestinians, the injury of around 11,700, and the arrest of approximately 22,000, amid international warnings that Israel may move to annex the West Bank.