Deir al-Balah camp

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This article is about the refugee camp, for the nearby city see Deir el-Balah.

Deir al-Balah camp is the smallest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.^[1] Located just west of the town of Deir al-Balah, the camp spans an area of 0.16 square kilometers or 39 acres.^[2] As of March 2005, the refugee population registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was 19,534 persons.^[2]

Contents 1 History 2 Events during Al-Aqsa Intifada 3 References 4 External links

[edit] History

Refugees in Deir al-Balah camp, as with most other Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, originate from villages and towns in central and southern pre-1948 Palestine.^[1]

Originally, the camp housed 9,000 refugees in tents and then mud-brick structures, which were replaced with cement block structures in the early 1960s.^[1]

Before the implementation of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, the camp and the adjacent town were surrounded by Israeli settlements - Kfar Darom to the north and Gush Katif to the south - and the highly militarized Abul Holi junction that separated the north of Gaza from the south was located on Deir al-Balah land.^[1]

In late 1997, the Palestinian Authority demolished several shelters in the camp in order to extend the main coastal road between the camp and the Mediterranean sea.^[2] Several families were given small plots of land and some financial compensation in order to build new shelters outside the camp.^[2]

There was no sewage system in Deir el-Balah camp until UNRWA constructed one in 1998 with financial assistance from Japan. There are also eight UNRWA run schools - six elementary and two preparatory - serving about 8,000 students.^[1]

Most residents in the camp had worked as laborers in Israel before the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada. A minority of residents have also worked as local farm laborers.^[1]

[edit] Events during Al-Aqsa Intifada

Throughout the al-Aqsa Intifada, the refugee camp has been the site of several Israeli incursions:^{[3] [4]}

In May of 2001, a funeral for four-month-old Iman Hejjo, killed by shrapnel during an Israeli attack on Khan Younis refugee camp, was held in Deir al-Balah camp and attended by hundreds of mourners. Her father Mohammed, a policeman, told Reuters that "The killing of my baby will remain as a stigma on the face of Israel and the international community."^[5]

On 13 February 2002, Palestinian policeman and camp resident, Shadi Mustafah El-Hassanat, was killed along with two other policeman after five Israeli tanks raided the eastern part of Deir al-Balah and fired flechette shells at them while they sought refuge in a small room near their post.^[6]

Residents of Deir al-Balah camp have also been involved in attempted attacks on Israeli settlements:

On 22 November 2003, 24-year old Muhammad Suleiman Khalil Sarsur of Deir al-Balah camp was killed by Israeli security forces while attempting to infiltrate the Netzarim settlement.^[7]

On 6 October 2004, 17-year old 'Ali Khaled 'Ali al-Jaru and 21-year old Iyad Fa'iz Yusef Abu al-'Ata, both of Deir al-Balah camp, were killed by Israeli security forces while attempting to attack the Kfar Darom settlement.^[7]

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Mariam Shahin (2005). Palestine: A Guide. Interlink Books, 421 – 423. ISBN 156656557X. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Deir al-Balah camp. UNRWA (31 March 2005). Retrieved on 05.20.2007.
3. ^ The Palestinians challenge Israel's attempts to break into Deir al-Balah and al-Khalil. ArabicNews.com (August 25, 2001). Retrieved on 05.20.2007.
4. ^ US calls on Israel to withdraw. BBC News Online (28 August 2001). Retrieved on 05.08.2007.
5. ^ Reuters (May 8, 2001). Mideast Deaths Continue. One News. Retrieved on 05.20.2007.
6. ^ Martyrs List in Al-Aqsa Intifada. Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (September 29, 2002). Retrieved on 05.20.2007.
7. ^ ^{a b} Casualties List. Btselem. Retrieved on 05.20.2007.

[edit] External links

• Profile of Deir el-Balah camp by UNRWA
• Map of Deir al-Balah governorate showing camp's location

v • d • e Deir al-Balah Governorate Cities Deir al-Balah Municipalities az-Zawayda Village councils al-Musaddar · Wadi as-Salqa Refugee camps Bureij · Deir al-Balah camp · Maghazi · Nuseirat ·

v • d • e Palestinian exodus   ·   Palestinian refugees1   ·   UNRWA
Gaza Strip 986,034 refugees Jordan 1,827,877 refugees Lebanon 404,170 refugees Syria 432,048 refugees West Bank 699,817 refugees Beach camp, 76,109 Bureij, 30,059 Deir al-Balah camp, 20,188 Jabalia, 103,646 Khan Yunis, 60,662 Maghazi, 22,536 Nuseirat, 64,233 Rafah camp, 90,638 Amman New Camp, 29,805 Baqa'a, 80,100 Husn, 19,573 Irbid, 23,512 Jabal el-Hussein , 27,674 Jerash, 15,696 Marka, 41,237 Souf, 14,911 Talbieh, 4,041 Zarqa, 17,344 Beddawi, 15,695 Burj el-Barajneh, 19,526 Burj el-Shemali, 18,134 Dbayeh, 4,223 Dikwaneh, destroyed Ein el-Hilweh, 44,133 El-Buss, 9,840 Jisr el-Basha, destroyed Mar Elias, 1,406 Mieh Mieh, 5,078 Nabatieh camp, destroyed in 1973 Nahr el-Bared, 28,358 Rashidieh, 24,679 Sabra Shatila, 11,998 Tel al-Zaatar, destroyed in 1976 Wavel, 7,357 Dera'a, 5,916 Dera'a (Emergency), 5,536 Hama, 7,597 Homs, 13,825 Jaramana, 5,007 Khan Dunoun, 8,603 Khan Eshieh, 15,731 Neirab, 17,994 Qabr Essit, 16,016 Sbeineh, 19,624 Latakia, 6,534 Yarmouk, 112,550 Ein Al-Tal, 4,329 Abu Dis Aida, 3,260 Am'ari, 8,083 Aqabat Jabr, 5,197 Arroub, 9,180 Askar, 13,894 Azaa, 1,828 Balata, 20,681 Deir Ammar, 2,189 Dheisheh, 10,923 Ein Beit al-Ma', 6,221 Ein el-Sultan, 1,888 Far'a, 6,836 Fawwar, 7,072 Jalazone, 9,284 Jenin, 14,050 Kalandia, 9,188 Nur Shams, 8,179 Shu'fat camp, 9,567 Tulkarm, 16,259
1The UNRWA definition of a "Palestinian refugee" is a person "whose normal place of residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948, who lost both their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict." "UNRWA's definition of a refugee also covers the descendants of persons who became refugees in 1948." (UNRWA)