The Camps

In the sections below, we take a look at how life is like in Palestinian refugee camps. Over 1.5 million Palestinians – one third of the registered Palestine refugees – live in 58 recognized refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Unfortunately, lack of appropriate funding means that most of these camps are little more than shanty towns, with rampant squalor.

Burj El Barajneh Refugee Camp, Lebanon

More than 17,945 registered refugees7 schools1 health centreMajority aged between 13-25 Located in southern suburbs of Beirut, near Beirut International Airport, it was established in 1948 by The League of Red Cross Societies to accommodate refugees who fled from Galilee. Suffered heavily throughout the Lebanese civil war; property was badly…

Shatila Refugee Camp, Lebanon

More than 9,842 registered refugees2 schools1 health centreMajority aged between 13-40 Located in Southern Beirut, it was established in 1949 by the International Committee of the Red Cross to accommodate the hundreds of refugees who came from Amka, Majed-al-Kroum and al-Yajour area villages in northern Palestine after 1948. The camp…

Al Shati Refugee Camp, Gaza

How do you think you would fare in a refugee camp in Gaza? Take Al Shati camp (also known as Beach Camp), which is located along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the northern Gaza Strip. Although quite small in size, it contains more than 87,000 Palestinian refugees. To…

Ein el-Hilweh Refugee Camp, Lebanon

More than 54,116 registered refugees8 schools, including 1 secondary school2 health centresMajority aged between 13-2510 facts about Ein el-Hilweh Refugee Camp in Lebanon:   1. Ein el-Hilweh means “sweet, natural spring”. It was chosen in 1948 by UN staff after a nearby stream. It was originally established by the International…