Ruwaida Amer recounts her deep connection to the Nakba, witnessed by her grandparents in 1948 and now experienced acutely by herself as a refugee in 2025. Born in Khan Younis camp, she explains her dynamic understanding of what it means to be a refugee, shaped by her childhood experiences and her subsequent career as a journalist. Nakba Day, once a solemn commemoration peppered with stories of the past, resonates with her as she observes continuing refugee struggles, including her first visit to a refugee camp in 13 years, which stirs vivid memories of her early life.
As a child, I would ask: What is a refugee? I attended a school run by UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, and my documents always had to include proof that I was a refugee.
Before Israel's war on Gaza, May 15, or Nakba Day, the day Palestinians commemorate the Nakba, was a unique occasion. Everyone paid attention to it, seeking out people who had lived through it to hear their stories.
When I began working as a journalist in 2015, Nakba Day was one of the events I looked forward to covering. That year, I went along with colleagues to the Shati camp, west of Gaza City.
Memories of my childhood in Khan Younis came flooding back: the small, crowded houses, some newly built, others still original structures. It was nice that the commemoration falls in May, with good weather.
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