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Maghazi refugee camp

Coordinates: 31°25′16.89″N 34°23′07.35″E / 31.4213583°N 34.3853750°E / 31.4213583; 34.3853750
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Maghazi
Palestinian refugee camp
Arabic transcription(s)
 • Arabicمخيم المغازي
Map of the camp, as well as the two other adjacent camps of Nuseirat and Bureij
Map of the camp, as well as the two other adjacent camps of Nuseirat and Bureij
Maghazi is located in State of Palestine
Maghazi
Maghazi
Location of Maghazi within Palestine
Coordinates: 31°25′16.89″N 34°23′07.35″E / 31.4213583°N 34.3853750°E / 31.4213583; 34.3853750
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateDeir al-Balah
Founded1949
Government
 • TypeRefugee Camp
Area
 • Total559 dunams (0.559 km2 or 0.216 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[1]
 • Total33,000
 • Density59,000/km2 (150,000/sq mi)
 Population total includes that of the refugee camp and the Maghazi municipality

Maghazi (Arabic: مخيم المغازي) is a Palestinian refugee camp located in the Deir al-Balah Governorate in the central Gaza Strip. It was established in 1949. The camp is built on 559 dunums (0.6 km2). In July 2023, the UNRWA reported its population to be 33,000. During the first months of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, its population tripled and faced repeated airstrikes by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

History

In early 1949 Quaker aid workers visited Maghazi and reported that there were 2,500 refugees camped on privately owned land. They were living in Bedouin and Egyptian army tents as well the British army barracks. Most of the refugees had come from eight villages including Yasur, Qastina, Al-Batani al-Sharqi, Al-Batani al-Gharbi and Al-Maghar.[2]

Population

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the camp had a population of 18,157 in 2017 and the surrounding Maghazi municipality had a population of 9,670.[3] In July 2023, the United Nations agency UNRWA reported that its population was 33,000.[1]

During the 2023 war, population surged to 100,000 as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ordered Gaza residents to flee to the south.[4]

Income

Before the Gaza Strip's closure to Israel in 2000 following the Al-Aqsa Intifada, most residents had taken a number of various jobs in Israel or worked as farmers at local tells and pastures. There is a weekly souk, or open-air market, on Sunday in which residents buy or sell goods from their workshops, bakeries, cafes, diners and grocery lots.

As of 2023 there were around 30 municipality workers.[4]

Education

Maghazi has three elementary schools and 2 junior high schools run by the UNRWA. 6,407 pupils had enrolled at these schools in the 2004-2005 year. In 1998, the UNRWA provided integrated educational services to 1,264 children with disabilities. There are a number of youth activities that involve in athletics, social and cultural programs.

One UNRWA school was bombed by the IDF in 2023. Another two were used to house around 25,000 displaced Palestinians during the 2023 war.[4]

Raids and warfare

Main articles: Israeli attacks on Al-Maghazi refugee camp and Refugee camp airstrikes in the Israel–Hamas war

On the evening of Monday 6 January 2003, the IDF raided the camp, killed three Palestinians and wounded dozens, saying they were targeting militants hiding there.[5]

In 2023, the camp was struck by Israeli airstrikes on 17 October,[6] 5 November,[7] 6 December[7] and 24 December.[8][9] Bombing destroyed the only bakery in the camp.[10][4] According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the 5 November airstrikes killed 50 people[8] and the 24 December airstrikes killed 70 people.[11][12][13][14] Refugees in the camp faced disease epidemics, blockades preventing the import of food, water and sanitary products, and blocked access to landfill sites. Two of its seven wells were bombed, while the others were inoperable as fuel could not be imported.[4]

On August 7, 2024 an Israeli raid on the camp killed two people, and injured dozens.[15]

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b "MAGHAZI CAMP".
  2. ^ Gallagher, Nancy (2007) "Quakers in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Dilemmas of NGO Humanitarian Activism" The American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 977-416-105-X p 75
  3. ^ Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (Report). State of Palestine. February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Mousa, Aseel. "'We are facing a disaster', Mayor of Gaza's Maghazi camp warns". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Question of the Violation of Human Rights in the Occupied Arab Territories Including Palestine".
  6. ^ K, S. "Gaza: UNRWA School Sheltering Displaced Families is Hit". Question of Palestine. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Israel-Hamas war: List of key events, day 62". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b "At least 45 killed at Al-Maghazi refugee camp". 5 November 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Israeli airstrike kills at least 70 in Al-Maghazi refugee camp, Gaza officials say". The Independent. 25 December 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  10. ^ Ahmed, Kaamil; Morresi, Elena (28 October 2023). "Airstrikes on Gaza bakeries add to 'catastrophic' food shortages". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Israeli air strike kills at least 70 Palestinians in central Gaza refugee camp, health officials say". Reuters.
  12. ^ "'Massacre' as Israel steps up Gaza bombardment for Christmas". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  13. ^ "At least 70 killed in Israeli strike on refugee camp in central Gaza, health ministry says". The Guardian. 24 December 2023. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  14. ^ "At least 70 dead after strike at al-Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza, Health Ministry says". NBC News. 25 December 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Six Palestinians killed, others injured in Israeli raids on Khan Younis, Maghazi camp". Saba News Agency. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
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