Nur Shams (Arabic: مخيّم نور شمس) is a Palestinian refugee camp in the Tulkarm Governorate in the northwestern West Bank, located three kilometers east of Tulkarm. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Nur Shams had a population of 6,479 inhabitants in 2007 and 6,423 by 2017.[1][2] 95.1% of the population of Nur Shams were refugees in 1997.[3] The UNRWA-run healthcare facility for Nur Shams camp was re-built in 1996 with contributions from the Government of Germany.[4]
Nur Shams | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | مخيّم نور شمس |
 Nur Shams Refugee Camp | |
  Nur Shams Location of Nur Shams within Palestine | |
| Coordinates: 32°19′07″N 35°03′32″E / 32.31861°N 35.05889°E | |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Tulkarm |
| Government | |
| • Type | Refugee Camp |
| Area | |
• Total | 226 dunams (22.6 ha or 56 acres) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
• Total | 6,423 |
| • Density | 28,000/km2 (74,000/sq mi) |
Historian Benny Morris describes it as having been "a lonely and exclusively Arab area" in early 1936.[5]
During the Mandate period, a British detention camp was situated at Nur Shams.[6]
Nur Shams camp was established in 1952 on 226 dunums. The camp was transferred to Palestinian Authority control in November 1998, after the signing of the Wye River Memorandum and the first phase of further Israeli redeployment.
The two schools in the camp are in poor condition and are listed on UNRWA's priority list for replacement pending securing of funds to carry out the project. A four story Boys' school was constructed in 2004 and has 1035 pupils, the girls' school was constructed in 2001 and has 975 pupils.[7]
In 2023, the IDF entered the camp.
See also
References
- ^ a b 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 2023-10-24.
- ^ 2007 PCBS census. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). p. 108.
- ^ Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
- ^ Health care Facilities Tulkarm Governorate
- ^ Benny Morris, Ian Black (1991). "Israel's Secret Wars: A History of Israel's Intelligence Services". GrovePress.
- ^ Ian Black; Benny Morris (1991). Israel's secret wars: a history of Israel's intelligence services. Grove Weidenfeld. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-8021-3286-4. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ UNRWA Nur Shams camp profile