Gaza

As its name suggests, the Beach camp, known to residents as Al Shati, was located on the coast, near Gaza City. It is the northernmost refugee camp and was one of the most densely crowded. Conditions were difficult — the once-beautiful sea teems with refuse because Gaza's minimal electricity is insufficient to run the region's sewage systems. The coastal aquifer, the only local source of drinking water, was contaminated and salty, so residents struggled to find potable water or vegetables that were safe to eat.

Bureij was a modest-sized camp with approximately 43,000 residents. It was located near the center of Gaza. The camp was situated close to a lake of open sewage, and sewage regularly flowed into the nearby sea. Many residents of the camp contracted gastrointestinal illnesses, and most of the water in the camp was too contaminated for residents to drink.

Jabalia was the largest of Gaza's refugee camps, with a refugee population of over 88,700. The camp was located in northern Gaza, close to Gaza City and near the Erez border crossing. Tens of thousands of refugees lived there in an area less than two square kilometers wide, making it one of the densest urban areas in the world.

Deir Al Balah was Gaza's smallest refugee camp, with a population of about 113,000 refugees, and was located on the central coast. Its name referred to the date palms that grew abundantly in the area. Supplies of potable water were minimal. Though fishing could potentially provide a substantial livelihood for many residents, the fishing restrictions, which the Israeli navy often enforced with live ammunition, made this livelihood impracticable.

The Maghazi camp, with a population of 31,000, was located in central Gaza, not far from Bureij. This camp, with its small square footage, suffered from overcrowding and insufficient housing, as all the camps did to some degree. Poverty, unemployment, and intermittent electricity all contributed to the difficulties of day-to-day living in the camp.

The Khan Younis camp was located in southern Gaza, about a mile from the coast. It was one of Gaza's larger refugee camps, home to about 235,000 refugees. This camp, unlike some smaller camps, had multiple health centers and food distribution centers, but conditions were still difficult.

Nuseirat was located in a central cluster of camps, near both Bureij and Maghazi. It was one of Gaza's smaller camps, both in terms of its area and the number of its residents, about 161,000. It was nearer to the coast than its closest neighbors, so the dumping of untreated sewage into the sea and martially enforced fishing restrictions were heightened concerns.

Rafah was one of Gaza's larger refugee camps — it was home to about 224,000 refugees. It was located in the south of Gaza, near the border with Egypt. Rafah once engaged in a small amount of commerce with Egypt through clandestine underground tunnels and by shipping truckloads of flowers over the border. These small acts of commerce had largely been curtailed, and much of the camp struggled with unemployment.