In 1971, the Israeli government pursued a large scale resettlement scheme in order to control the refugee population and prevent militant activism. The idea was to move refugees to better housing so camp areas could be redeveloped and improved. The plan was part of 9 relocation schemes within the Gaza Strip, parts of nearby al-Shati camp were bulldozed and a housing project in Sheikh Radwan was initiated. Initially, refugee migration to Sheikh Radwan was involuntary since Israeli authorities demolished over 2,000 shelters in the camps to widen the roads for "security reasons" and denied permits for the residents to rebuild their houses. About 8,000 refugees moved into the housing projects of Sheikh Radwan. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency and the Palestine Liberation Organization were vociferous in their opposition to the Israeli action, saying it was forced resettlement. After the start of the First Intifada, Sheikh Radwan was the most consistently active areas in Gaza.