Al-Shati refugee camp

Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip

Refugee Camp in Gaza, State of Palestine
31°31′55.91″N 34°26′43.42″E / 31.5321972°N 34.4453944°E / 31.5321972; 34.4453944StateState of PalestineGovernorateGazaControl Israel Defense ForcesGovernment
 • TypeRefugee Camp (from 1949)Area
 • Total520 dunams (0.52 km2 or 0.20 sq mi)Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Total40,734 • Density78,000/km2 (200,000/sq mi)

Al-Shati (Arabic: مخيم الشاطئ), also known as Shati or Beach camp, is a Palestinian refugee camp located in the northern Gaza Strip along the Mediterranean Sea coastline in the Gaza Governorate, and more specifically Gaza City.

Al-Shati was established in 1948 for about 23,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from the cities of Jaffa, Lod and Beersheba as well as surrounding villages during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The camp's total land area consists of 520 dunums.[2]

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), al-Shati had a population of 40,734 inhabitants in 2017.[1] As of July 2023, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reports a population of 90,173 registered refugees.[2] The camp is the third largest refugee camp in the Palestinian Territories.

The camp is currently under the control of the IDF.[3]

History

Al-Shati was established in 1948 for about 23,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled by Zionist militias from the cities of Jaffa, Lod and Beersheba as well as surrounding villages during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. In 1971, Israeli authorities demolished over 2,000 shelters for the purpose of widening the roads for security reasons. About 8,000 refugees were forced to leave the camp to the nearby housing project in Sheikh Radwan in Gaza City.[2][4][5][6]

In 2023, Al-Shati was hit by multiple airstrikes during the Israel-Hamas War. On November 10, during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, Israel Defense Forces said they killed ~150 Hamas operatives during battles in the Al-Shati area.[7] In November of 2023 the Israel Defense Forces took control of the camp completely.[8]

Economy

Before September 2000, when Israel closed off its border with the Gaza Strip due to the violence of the Second Intifada, the majority of al-Shati's work force were laborers in Israel or worked in agriculture. Today, some refugees work in workshops and sewing factories.[citation needed] A sizable number of the camp's 2453 families depend on fishing for income. It contains a sewage system, a health center and 23 schools (17 primary, 6 secondary).[2]

People from Al-Shati

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (Report). State of Palestine. February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  2. ^ a b c d Beach Camp United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)
  3. ^ "The battle of northern Gaza is almost over". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  4. ^ Badil Archived 2012-02-16 at the Wayback Machine During the 1970s, the Israeli military administration destroyed thousands of refugee shelters in the occupied Gaza Strip under the guise of security. Large refugee camps were targeted in particular. Refugees were forcefully resettled in other areas of the occupied Gaza Strip, with a smaller number transferred to the occupied West Bank. In the occupied Gaza Strip, several housing projects were established for these refugees. Some of these projects today are referred to as camps. These include the Canada project (1972), the Shuqairi project (1973), the Brazil project (1973), the Sheikh Radwan project (1974), and the al-Amal project (1979).
  5. ^ Palestine Israel Journal Refugee Resettlement: The Gaza Strip Experience by Norma Masriyeh
  6. ^ Badil Archived 2009-02-27 at the Wayback Machine The Continuing Catastrophe --1967 and beyond
  7. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (2023-11-10). "IDF says troops captured key Hamas strongholds in Gaza City today, killing 150 terrorists". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  8. ^ "Israeli military says it has taken control of Al-Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza". CNN. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2024-01-09.

External links

  • Beach, articles from UNWRA
  • v
  • t
  • e
Gaza
NeighborhoodsMosquesChurchesHistoric buildings and institutionsHealth care and educationRecreation and cultural centersStreets and squares
  • v
  • t
  • e
Palestine refugee camps locations and populations as of 2015[1]
 Gaza Strip
518,000 UNRWA refugees
 West Bank
188,150 UNRWA refugees
 Syria
319,958 UNRWA refugees
 Lebanon
188,850 UNRWA refugees
 Jordan
355,500 UNRWA refugees
Al-Shati (Beach camp)87,000
Bureij 34,000
Deir al-Balah 21,000
Jabalia 110,000
Khan Yunis 72,000
Maghazi 24,000
Nuseirat 66,000
Rafah 104,000
Canada closed
Aqabat Jaber6,400
Ein as-Sultan 1,900
Far'a 7,600
Fawwar 8,000
Jalazone 11,000
Qalandia 11,000
Am'ari 10,500
Deir 'Ammar 2,400
Dheisheh 13,000
Aida 4,700
Al-Arroub 10,400
Askar 15,900
Balata 23,600
'Azza (Beit Jibrin) 1,000
Ein Beit al-Ma' (Camp No. 1) 6,750
Tulkarm 18,000
Nur Shams 9,000
Jenin 16,000
Shu'fat 11,000
Silwad
Birzeit
Sabinah22,600
Khan al-Shih 20,000
Nayrab 20,500
Homs 22,000
Jaramana 18,658
Daraa 10,000
Hama 8,000
Khan Danoun 10,000
Qabr Essit 23,700
Unofficial camps
Ein Al-Tal 6,000
Latakia 10,000
Yarmouk 148,500
Bourj el-Barajneh17,945
Ain al-Hilweh 54,116
El Buss 11,254
Nahr al-Bared 5,857
Shatila 9,842
Wavel 8,806
Mar Elias 662
Mieh Mieh 5,250
Beddawi 16,500
Burj el-Shemali 22,789
Dbayeh 4,351
Rashidieh 31,478
Former camps
Tel al-Zaatar  ?
Nabatieh  ?
Zarqa20,000
Jabal el-Hussein 29,000
Amman New (Wihdat) 51,500
Souf 20,000
Baqa'a 104,000
Husn (Martyr Azmi el-Mufti camp) 22,000
Irbid 25,000
Jerash 24,000
Marka 53,000
Talbieh 8,000
Al-Hassan  ?
Madaba  ?
Sokhna  ?
References
  1. ^ "Camp Profiles". unrwa.org. United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Retrieved 2 July 2015.