Askar (camp)

Askar (Arabic: مخيم عسكر‎) is a Palestinian refugee camp. It is located on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Nablus and was established in 1950 on 209 dunums of land. In 1960 the camp was expanded onto a further 90 dumums. Residents of the camp refer to this as “New Askar”.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the camps registered population is 31,629. Food rations are distributed to approximately 2086 families.

During the 2000 Intifada and 2002 Israeli Defence Force (IDF) incursions, camps such as Askar were a source of considerable resistance from Palestinian gunmen. IDF incursions are still common in Askar refugee camp and are generally conducted for the purposes of interrogating individuals or arresting suspected militants who Israeli authorities consider to be affiliated with listed terrorist organisations.

The UNRWA has several installations in Askar refugee camp including schools and health clinics. However, in addition to these the camp has several of its own community centers including the Center of Peace and Development located in New Askar. International volunteer work camps are run at the center annually which are hosted by the An-Najah National University.