BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee

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Survey of Palestinian Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (2006-2007)
2.2.2 Refugees Outside of Camps
Most Palestinian refugees (approximately 80%) live outside UNRWA’s 59 camps. These refugees reside in and around
cities and towns in the host countries, often in areas adjacent to refugee camps. 28 Many West Bank villages and towns,
for example, host a significant refugee population. There are approximately 100 localities in the occupied West Bank
in which 1948 refugees comprise more than 50% of the total population.
Between 1997 and 2006, the proportion of refugees living in West Bank communities showed a significant change.
For instance, the percentage of refugees decreased in Salfit (-63%) and in Tulkarem (-5%), showing important internal
displacement and/or migration. Meanwhile, the proportion of refugees has significantly increased in Jericho (+20%),
Qalqilya (+20%) and Jenin (+4%). Colonization, the Wall and its associated regime, and closure may explain why
refugees are displaced to or “stuck” in some West Bank communities. In the Gaza Strip, the proportion of refugees
has increased in Rafah (+15%), Khan Younis (+7%) and Gaza (+5%). This may be the result of home demolitions
and Israeli military operations in their previous place of residence.
Table 2.6: Percentage of Refugee Population in the 1967-occupied Palestinian Territory
Region % of Refugees Number of non-camp localities
with a population of > 50%
1997 a 2006 b
refugees a
Gaza 52.0 57.5 4
Deir al-Balah 85.5 88.6 7
North Gaza 70.9 71.0 6
Rafah 70.9 85.9 7
Khan Younis 56.9 63.3 8
Hebron 17.4 19.1 21
Tubas 15.8 23.0 1
Jericho 49.7 70.5 5
Jerusalem 40.8 42.0 12
Ramallah 28.1 30.1 13
Jenin 28.8 33.1 30
Tulkarem 31.5 26.2 5
Nablus 25.4 24.9 11
Bethlehem 28.0 28.6 10
Qalqilya 39.9 50.7 6
Salfit 65.4 2.1 1
Sources: a. Population, Housing and Establishment Census of the Palestinian Territory, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 1997.
b. Survey of the impact of the Israeli unilateral measures on the social, economic and environmental conditions of the Palestinian households,
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 2007.
In Lebanon, approximately 40% of the Palestinian refugee population resides in gatherings, cities and villages, and other
non-camp localities. 29 A gathering is defined as a community of 25 or more Palestinian households living together. In
Syria, almost 40% of Palestinian refugees live in urban centres, with a small number living in rural areas.
In pre-war Iraq (2003), the majority (90%) of Palestinian refugees lived in the greater Baghdad area, with a smaller
concentration in the north of the country. 30 Due to the war and occupation, many Palestinians may be among the
approximately 1,300,000 IDPs in Iraq, while thousands more have left altogether. 31