Shati Refugee Camp

Shati Refugee Camp was established in 1949 on the Mediterranean coast, northwest of Gaza City, from which it derives its name. It is approximately 4 kilometers from the city center. At the time of its establishment, the camp covered an area of approximately 519 dunams, which was later reduced to 447 dunams.

The camp was established to accommodate approximately 23,000 refugees who had previously been living in three separate camps within Gaza City. The first was known as “Halzon Camp,” located west of Al-Saraya; the second was “Al-Jumeizat Camp,” south of Al-Shifa Hospital; and the third was “Qarqash Camp,” north of Al-Yarmouk Stadium. A number of refugees also lived in various parts of Gaza City in rented houses.

The camp was home to refugees displaced from coastal villages and towns in southern and central Palestine, particularly those belonging to the districts of Gaza, Beersheba, and Jaffa. A smaller number came from northern Palestine. These villages and towns included Hiribya, Barbara, Breir, Al-Jura, Deir Sneid, Damra, Al-Jiya, Julis, Al-Sawafir, Al-Majdal, Hamama, Ashdod, Al-Batani, Abd al-Nabi, Simsim, Huj, Kartiyaa, Al-Masmiyya, Jaffa, Lydda, Ramle, Al-Khassas, Bayna, and others.

The camp's population was estimated at approximately 23,000 refugees in 1948. In 1970, Israel relocated 1,300 families from the camp to the Sheikh Radwan housing project. In 1971, the occupying authorities demolished and cleared 2,263 rooms occupied by 804 families, comprising 4,836 refugees.

According to estimates by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the camp's population reached approximately 46,758 refugees in mid-2023. Today, Shati Refugee Camp has the highest population density among the eight refugee camps in the Gaza Strip.