Palestinians participate in a rally marking Al-Nakba, commemorating the displacement of Palestinians in 1948 due to the declaration of the state of Israel, in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 15 May 2012. Thousands marched in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, commemorating the dispersal of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes in the wake of the creation of Israel 64 years ago. Known in Arabic as the Nakba, or catastrophe, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled their homes during the war that erupted a day after Israel declared statehood on May 14, 1948. In Gaza City, crowds gathered ahead of a 1 pm (1000 GMT) rally, carrying a huge map of historic Palestine featuring every village that had exited before 1948, as well as a 300-metre-long Palestinian flag. Photo by Ashraf Amra