Al-Shati (camp)
Encyclopedia
Al-Shati camp , also known as 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. The camp's total land area consists of 727 dunum
s. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
(PCBS), al-Shati had a population of 87,158 inhabitants in mid-year 2006, while the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reports a population of 78,800 registered refugees
. The camp is the third largest refugee camp in the Palestinian Territories.
, 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.
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. 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).
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
along the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
coastline in the Gaza Governorate
Gaza Governorate
The Gaza Governorate is one of 16 Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority located in the north central Gaza Strip which is administered by the Palestinian National Authority aside from its border with Israel, airspace and maritime territory. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau...
, and more specifically Gaza City. The camp's total land area consists of 727 dunum
Dunam
A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum, dynym, dulum was a non-SI unit of land area used in the Ottoman Empire and representing the amount of land that can be plowed in a day; its value varied from 900–2500 m²...
s. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is the statistical organization under the umbrella of the Palestinian Cabinet of the Palestinian National Authority....
(PCBS), al-Shati had a population of 87,158 inhabitants in mid-year 2006, while the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reports a population of 78,800 registered refugees
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
. The camp is the third largest refugee camp in the Palestinian Territories.
History
Al-Shati was established in 1948 for about 23,000 Palestinians fleeing the cities of JaffaJaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
, Lod
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
and Beersheba
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
as well as surrounding villages during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
. 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
Sheikh Radwan
Sheikh Radwan is a district of Gaza City located nearly northwest of the city center. It borders al-Shati camp to the southwest, Rimal to the south, and Jabalia to the east. The Sheikh Radwan Cemetery is located in the district...
in Gaza City.
Economy
Before September 2000, when Israel closed off its border with the Gaza StripGaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
due to the violence of the Second Intifada, the majority of al-Shati's work force were laborers in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
or worked in agriculture. Today, some refugees work in workshops and sewing factories. 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).
People from Al-Shati
- Ismail HaniyaIsmail HaniyaIsmail Haniyeh ; is a senior political leader of Hamas and one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority, the matter being under political and legal dispute. He became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won...
, de facto Prime Minister of the Palestinian National AuthorityPrime Minister of the Palestinian National AuthorityThe Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority is the head of government of the Palestinian Authority government.The Prime Minister's Office was created in 2003 to manage day-to-day activities of the Palestinian government. The position was created because both Israel and the United... - Rashid MasharawiRashid MasharawiRashid Masharawi, film artist, born in Gaza in 1962 to a family of refugees from Jaffa. He grew up in the Shati refugee camp....
, filmmaker - Said SeyamSaid SeyamSaid Seyam was the Interior Minister of the Palestinian government of March 2006. He joined Hamas, and became one of its top commanders. During the Gaza War, Seyam was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jabalia.-Personal life:...
, assassinated Interior Minister of the Palestinian National AuthorityInterior Minister of the Palestinian National AuthorityThe Interior Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority is the branch of the Palestinian National Authority cabinet in charge of the security and statistics of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is a sub-branch of the Interior Ministry that has the...
based in Gaza
See also
- Canada CampCanada CampFollowing Israel’s occupation of the Sinai in 1967, some 5,000 Palestinian refugees in Rafah were forced to relocate when their shelters were destroyed by the Israeli authorities during road widening and "security measures" of the early 1970s...
(1972) - Brazil project (1973)
- Shuqairi project (1973)
- Sheikh RadwanSheikh RadwanSheikh Radwan is a district of Gaza City located nearly northwest of the city center. It borders al-Shati camp to the southwest, Rimal to the south, and Jabalia to the east. The Sheikh Radwan Cemetery is located in the district...
project (1974) - Al-Amal project (1979)
External links
- Beach, articles from UNWRA