Nur Shams camp was established in 1952 on 0.23 square kilometres, 3km east of Tulkarm. 
Original refugees in the camps came from villages around Haifa. Before 1952, they lived in tents in the Jenin valley near Janzour, until a snow storm destroyed their tents in 1950.
They then took up shelter in the areas surrounding Wadi Al Shaer, including the former British prison of Nur Shams, where UNRWA began building shelters in 1956. Like other West Bank camps, it was established on land UNRWA leased from the government of Jordan.
All shelters are connected to public water and electricity infrastructure, and nearly all are connected to the municipal sewerage network.
The camp was transferred to PA control in November 1998, after the Wye River Memorandum and the first phase of further Israeli redeployment.
One in five residents is unemployed, affected by the inaccessibility of the Israeli labour market.
Statistics
- Over 9,000 registered refugees
- Two schools
- One food distribution centre
- One health centre
- One community-based rehabilitation centre
- One women’s programme centre
- Demographic profile:
Programmes in the camp
Major problems
- High unemployment
- Overcrowded schools
InterTech 
