Witness

In 1948, tens of thousands of Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes in the Middle East. The period after World War Two in the region was tense, at times violent and politically complex.For Israeli Jews it was a chance to build their own nation after the genocide of the Holocaust. But for Arab Palestinian Muslims and Christians it was a time of loss. Many were intimidated by the violence and changing demographics. Rebecca Kesby speaks to Hasan Hammami who was 15-years-old when his family was forced out off Palestine.The interview was recorded before the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 and subsequent Israeli military operation.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes