Nuseirat camp

Area: Gaza

Population Size: 66,000

Established date: 1948

Background:

A busy and crowded camp, Nuseirat is currently home to more than 66,000 refugees. Set in the middle of the Gaza Strip, Nuseirat is very near Bureij and Maghazi camps.

Nuseirat, which takes its name from a local Bedouin tribe, initially accommodated 16,000 refugees who fled from the southern districts of Palestine after the 1948 war, including the coast and Be’er Sheva. Before the camp was formed, refugees had to live in a former British military prison in the area.

BLOCKADE

The blockade on Gaza has made life more difficult for nearly all refugees in the camp, which now has extremely high unemployment. Far fewer families can provide for themselves and a staggering proportion of the population dependent on UNRWA’s food and cash assistance.

Ninety per cent of the water is unfit for human consumption, so basic hygiene is another great concern.

STATISTICS

  • More than 66,000 registered refugees
  • 11 school buildings, of which 9 operate on a double-shift basis, accommodating 20 schools
  • One food distribution centre
  • Two health centres

MAJOR PROBLEMS

  • Electricity cuts
  • High unemployment
  • Three-mile fishing limit
  • High population density
  • suppliesContaminated water supply
  • Lack of availability of construction materials

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UNRWA website

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