| Jabalia Camp | |
| Native Name: | مخيّم جباليا |
| Native Name Lang: | ar |
| Type: | Refugee camp |
| Pushpin Map: | Palestine |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Jabalia Camp within Palestine |
| Coordinates: | 31.5372°N 34.4964°W |
| Grid Name: | Palestine grid |
| Subdivision Type: | State |
| Subdivision Name: | State of Palestine |
| Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
| Subdivision Name1: | North Gaza |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Unit Pref: | dunam |
| Area Total Km2: | 1.4 |
| Area Total Dunam: | 1400 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 49462 |
| Population As Of: | 2017 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
Jabalia Camp (Arabic: مخيّم جباليا) is a Palestinian refugee camp created by the United Nations following Israel's war of independence in 1948. Despite its name, it is nowadays an urban agglomeration located 3km (02miles) north of Jabalia in the Gaza Strip. It is the largest refugee camp in Palestinian territory, with more than 100,000 inhabitants. Due to Israeli attacks in 2024 during the Israel–Hamas war, the refugee camp was described as "destroyed".[2]
The Jabalia refugee camp is in the North Gaza Governorate, Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the camp had a population of 49,462 in 2017. However, on June 30, 2002, the registered population was 103,646 inhabitants. The camp is located at the northern end of the Gaza Strip, close to the Israeli border and a village with the same name. The camp only covers an area of 1.4 km2 making it one of the most densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip.[3] The First Intifada in December 1987 began in Jabalia. The camp has been the scene of much violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It is also considered a major stronghold of the Hamas movement.[4] The camp is the largest refugee camp in Palestinian territory.
During the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, Israeli artillery reportedly hit an UNWRA school in Jabalia Camp, killing at least 15 Palestinians sheltering there.[5] A UN spokesman stated: "Last night, children were killed as they slept next to their parents on the floor of a classroom in a UN-designated shelter in Gaza. Children killed in their sleep; this is an affront to all of us, a source of universal shame. Today the world stands disgraced."[6]
See also: Jabalia refugee camp airstrikes, 2023. Protestors at the camp participated in the 2023 Gaza economic protests against poor economic conditions in Gaza and Hamas mismanagement.[7]
The Jabalia refugee camp, which has been the target of multiple Israeli air strikes during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, was struck again on 31 October.[8] The Israeli air-strike killed at least 50 Palestinians and trapped more than a hundred beneath the rubble, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.[9] The Indonesia Hospital said most casualties were women and children.[10] Gaza Interior Ministry stated the camp had been "completely destroyed," with preliminary estimates of about 400 wounded or dead.[11] IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari confirmed that Israeli fighter jets attacked the refugee camp,[12] and stated that the attack killed a Hamas commander who led the 7 October attacks, dozens of Palestinian militants, and destroyed Palestinian tunnels.[13] Hamas said none of its commanders were present and that Israel was using these claims as an excuse for the attack.[14]
The Israeli army withdrew from the refugee camp on 6 February 2024. Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif reported that all that remained was total destruction, with one resident of the area stating there was "not a single habitable house" remaining in Jabalia.[15] On 12 May 2024, Israeli forces reportedly attacked the refugee camp again.[16] Footage allegedly showed Israel dropping bombs on the camp, and using tanks to enter it. Following Israel's withdrawal from the camp in late-May 2024, as much as 70 percent of the camp was said to be in ruins.[17] The Israeli military said it destroyed over 10 kilometers of tunnels beneath Jabalia that it said the militants used.[18] Civil defence crews reportedly uncovered 120 bodies in the aftermath of the withdrawal.[19] In June 2024, the camp was declared a disaster area.[20]