AhlulBayt News Agency: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has renewed its commitment to continue providing services to Palestinian refugees until a just and lasting solution is achieved.
In a post on its official account on X (formerly Twitter) to mark World Refugee Day, observed annually on June 20 by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness of refugee and displacement issues globally, UNRWA emphasized the harsh conditions faced by refugees, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank, where they have endured forced displacement for 77 years.
UNRWA recalled that in 1948, during the Nakba (Catastrophe), more than 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their towns and villages. “Seventy-seven years later, Palestinians continue to suffer from forced displacement,” the agency stated.
It further noted that since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza, approximately 1.9 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini reiterated the agency’s commitment to supporting Palestinian refugees through continued services and humanitarian assistance until a fair resolution is reached. His remarks were shared in a post on the agency’s X platform, highlighting the severe challenges refugees face, especially in Gaza and the West Bank.
According to data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), as of August 2023, approximately 5.9 million Palestinian refugees were registered with UNRWA.
The PCBS reported that around 2.5 million of these refugees reside in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, making up roughly 42% of the total refugee population (15% in the West Bank and 27% in Gaza).
In the broader Arab region, Jordan hosts about 40% of registered Palestinian refugees. Lebanon and Syria host approximately 8% and 10%, respectively.
In Palestine itself, about 42.2% of the population in 2017 were refugees. In the West Bank, refugees accounted for 26.3% of the population, while in Gaza, the figure reached 66.1%.
The PCBS added that nearly 2 million people have been displaced from their homes in Gaza since October 7, 2023, out of a total pre-war population of around 2.2 million.
In the West Bank, similar to the displacement events of the 1948 Nakba and the 1967 Naksa, thousands of residents have been forcibly removed from their homes due to assaults on northern camps such as Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas. These have triggered the largest waves of displacement in the West Bank in eight decades.
According to UNRWA data, more than 42,000 individuals have fled camps in the northern West Bank amid ongoing home demolitions, forced displacement, and mass arrests. The number of displaced from Jenin and surrounding areas has risen to 21,000—around 30% of the city and camp’s population. Meanwhile, most residents of Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps—estimated at around 19,000 refugees as of mid-2025—have also been displaced.
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