Lebanon Struggles to Cope with New Syrian Migration Wave

 Children at a camp for Syrian refugees in Bar Elias, in the Lebanese Bekaa Valley on July 7, 2022 (AP)
Children at a camp for Syrian refugees in Bar Elias, in the Lebanese Bekaa Valley on July 7, 2022 (AP)
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Lebanon Struggles to Cope with New Syrian Migration Wave

 Children at a camp for Syrian refugees in Bar Elias, in the Lebanese Bekaa Valley on July 7, 2022 (AP)
Children at a camp for Syrian refugees in Bar Elias, in the Lebanese Bekaa Valley on July 7, 2022 (AP)

Asharq Al-Awsat is closely monitoring the influx of new Syrian refugees into Lebanese territory, specifically the Bekaa region in eastern Lebanon.

These refugees are fleeing dire economic and living conditions in Syria, marking a new wave of displacement following the security-driven causes that led to the initial wave several years ago.

These displaced individuals are coordinating with traffickers who transport them covertly through unauthorized routes into Lebanese territory. This issue has prompted a political and security alert within Lebanon, aiming to prevent the exacerbation of this phenomenon, which has intensified in recent weeks.

One Syrian, Fadi S., aged 24, shared with Asharq Al-Awsat upon his arrival in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, that he had only a single dollar in his pocket, insufficient to purchase essential supplies from a local supermarket.

His journey from Syria’s Homs to the Lebanese Bekaa region had depleted all his resources, and the $100 sent by his uncle to pay the human trafficker to bring him into Lebanon was exhausted.

Fadi’s intention upon arriving in Lebanon is to seek employment.

The journey Fadi took to Baalbek was arduous, spanning 13 hours and involving passage through unauthorized crossings and rugged paths.

However, it was relatively easy to navigate these obstacles because, as he mentioned, “the smugglers are familiar with hidden points unknown to Syrian and Lebanese security personnel.”

Sometimes, these refugees walk for hours through fields and orchards to reach the heart of Lebanon.

Fadi entered through an unauthorized crossing north of Hermel in the far northeast of Lebanon, along with a group of 17 Syrians, most of whom were young individuals seeking employment.

Upon arrival in Lebanese territory, they dispersed—some sought refuge in Syrian displacement camps in Bekaa, where they had relatives, while others sought shelter with relatives in villages in Baalbek.

The sole motivation behind Fadi’s displacement is the dire economic situation.

“I fled the hellish economic conditions, the unbearable cost of living in Syria, and the significant devaluation of the Syrian pound,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“These factors threaten our access to gas and heating fuel as winter approaches.”

“Life has become exceedingly harsh in Syria due to the exchange rate soaring to 14,000 Syrian pounds for one US dollar, while the daily wages for agricultural and construction workers in Syria do not exceed three dollars (40,000 Syrian pounds),” Fadi further explained.

“Meanwhile, food prices have surged, with the price per kilogram of tomatoes, grapes, and potatoes reaching over 3,000 Syrian pounds.”

“A gallon of oil costs 110,000 Syrian pounds ($8), and a kilogram of sugar has risen to 13,000 Syrian pounds (around $1).”

According to Fadi, these conditions forced him to leave his job in Homs.

He couldn't afford the cost of escaping, so he turned to his uncle living abroad, who sent him $100.

Fadi used this money to pay a trafficking group comprised of Lebanese and Syrians, allowing him to finally have a chance at improving his economic situation and finding work in Lebanon.

Indeed, he found his opportunity in Lebanon, where he secured a job the day after his arrival.

On Wednesday, he mentioned that he had started working in construction labor and was earning a daily wage of $8.

Lebanese security sources confirm that the amount Fadi paid is consistent with what they have seen, but investigations into apprehended individuals fleeing across the border illegally reveal even larger sums.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat under conditions of anonymity, a security source in the Bekaa region revealed that the fees charged by smuggling gangs per person “range from $100 to $600, depending on the nature of the journey.”

The security source also noted that some who illicitly enter Lebanon “use Lebanese territory as a transit route to European countries, Turkey, Egypt, or Greece, via sea and airports.”

“Their affairs are managed by gangs that secure accommodation in Lebanon before facilitating their departure abroad,” added the source.

The economic situation remains the primary driver for the migration of Syrians to Lebanon.

Samia, 32 years old, arrived on Tuesday with her two-year-old son, Mohammed, at a camp near Baalbek through an illegal smuggling route.

She had previously returned to Syria to live with her family, believing that the economic situation in Syria was better than in Lebanon.

However, Samia has now returned to Lebanon, seeking refuge from the “deteriorating economic conditions in Syria.”

She returned once again to the neighboring country to live with her husband, who works as a truck driver there.

Today, Samia resides in the same tent she had abandoned for Syria two months ago, returning through the same smuggling route and with the same traffickers.

“When I left for Syria two months ago through smugglers to live there with my family, the situation was better than it is today. But now, life has become unbearable, and that’s what compelled me to return to Lebanon,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Samia mentions that the cost of the journey, both to enter Syria from Lebanon and return, amounts to $200, as charged by the smugglers for both the outbound and return trips.

Lebanese authorities have taken measures to thwart illegal border crossings.

“As part of combating human trafficking and illegal infiltration across the land borders, units of the Lebanese Army, at various times during the past week, foiled an attempt to infiltrate approximately 1,100 Syrians at the Lebanese-Syrian border,” the Lebanese Army stated in a recent press release.

Smuggling routes span a vast area, starting from Suweiri in southern Bekaa and extending to the far northeast of Lebanon, covering the entire northern border region. Smuggling is considered easier in the north due to the dense vegetation cover that conceals infiltrators.

A security source in eastern Lebanon informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the Lebanese Army, with the assistance of the Border Regiment and intelligence patrols, has successfully controlled both legal and illegal border crossings.

They have also established parallel checkpoints along international highways in northern Bekaa to prevent new waves of refugees from entering, following a recent security lapse.

The source, who requested anonymity, pointed out that those fleeing to Lebanon come from all Syrian regions without exception.

The source added that individuals apprehended by the army are repatriated across the border.



To Get Their Own Cash, People in Gaza Must Pay Middlemen a 40% Cut

A destroyed branch of the Bank of Palestine in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City is seen Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP)
A destroyed branch of the Bank of Palestine in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City is seen Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP)
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To Get Their Own Cash, People in Gaza Must Pay Middlemen a 40% Cut

A destroyed branch of the Bank of Palestine in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City is seen Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP)
A destroyed branch of the Bank of Palestine in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City is seen Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP)

Cash is the lifeblood of the Gaza Strip’s shattered economy, and like all other necessities in this war-torn territory — food, fuel, medicine — it is in extremely short supply.

With nearly every bank branch and ATM inoperable, people have become reliant on an unrestrained network of powerful cash brokers to get money for daily expenses and commissions on those transactions have soared to about 40%.

"The people are crying blood because of this," said Ayman al-Dahdouh, a school director living in Gaza City. "It’s suffocating us, starving us."

At a time of surging inflation, high unemployment and dwindling savings, the scarcity of cash has magnified the financial squeeze on families — some of whom have begun to sell their possessions to buy essential goods.

The cash that is available has even lost some of its luster. Palestinians use the Israeli currency, the shekel, for most transactions. Yet with Israel no longer resupplying the territory with newly printed bank notes, merchants are increasingly reluctant to accept frayed bills.

Gaza’s punishing cash crunch has several root causes, experts say.

To curtail Hamas’ ability to purchase weapons and pay its fighters, Israel stopped allowing cash to enter Gaza at the start of the war. Around the same time, many wealthy families in Gaza withdrew their money from banks and then fled the territory. And rising fears about Gaza’s financial system prompted foreign businesses selling goods into the territory to demand cash payments.

As Gaza’s money supply dwindled and civilians’ desperation mounted, cash brokers' commissions — around 5% at the start of the war — skyrocketed.

Someone needing cash transfers money electronically to a broker and moments later is handed a fraction of that amount in bills. Many brokers openly advertise their services, while others are more secretive. Some grocers and retailers have also begun exchanging cash for their customers.

"If I need $60, I need to transfer $100," said Mohammed Basheer al-Farra, who lives in southern Gaza after being displaced from Khan Younis. "This is the only way we can buy essentials, like flour and sugar. We lose nearly half of our money just to be able to spend it."

In 2024, inflation in Gaza surged by 230%, according to the World Bank. It dropped slightly during the ceasefire that began in January, only to shoot up again after Israel backed out of the truce in March.

Cash touches every aspect of life in Gaza

About 80% of people in Gaza were unemployed at the end of 2024, according to the World Bank, and the figure is likely higher now. Those with jobs are mostly paid by direct deposits into their bank accounts.

But "when you want to buy vegetables, food, water, medication -- if you want to take transportation, or you need a blanket, or anything — you must use cash," al-Dahdouh said.

Shahid Ajjour’s family has been living off of savings for two years after the pharmacy and another business they owned were ruined by the war.

"We had to sell everything just to get cash," said Ajjour, who sold her gold to buy flour and canned beans. The family of eight spends the equivalent of $12 every two days on flour; before the war, that cost less than $4.

Sugar is very expensive, costing the equivalent of $80-$100 per kilogram (2.2 pounds), multiple people said; before the war, that cost less than $2.

Gasoline is about $25 a liter, or roughly $95 a gallon, when paying the lower, cash price.

Bills are worn and unusable

The bills in Gaza are tattered after 21 months of war.

Money is so fragile, it feels as if it is going to melt in your hands, said Mohammed al-Awini, who lives in a tent camp in southern Gaza.

Small business owners said they were under pressure to ask customers for undamaged cash because their suppliers demand pristine bills from them.

Thaeir Suhwayl, a flour merchant in Deir al-Balah, said his suppliers recently demanded he pay them only with brand new 200-shekel ($60) bank notes, which he said are rare. Most civilians pay him with 20-shekel ($6) notes that are often in poor condition.

On a recent visit to the market, Ajjour transferred the shekel equivalent of around $100 to a cash broker and received around $50 in return. But when she tried to buy some household supplies from a merchant, she was turned away because the bills weren’t in good condition.

"So the worth of your $50 is zero in the end," she said.

This problem has given rise to a new business in Gaza: money repair. It costs between 3 and 10 shekels ($1-$3) to mend old bank notes. But even cash repaired with tape or other means is sometimes rejected.

People are at the mercy of cash brokers

After most of the banks closed in the early days of the war, those with large reserves of cash suddenly had immense power.

"People are at their mercy," said Mahmoud Aqel, who has been displaced from his home in southern Gaza. "No one can stop them."

The war makes it impossible to regulate market prices and exchange rates, said Dalia Alazzeh, an expert in finance and accounting at the University of the West of Scotland. "Nobody can physically monitor what’s happening," Alazzeh said.

A year ago, the Palestine Monetary Authority, the equivalent of a central bank for Gaza and the West Bank, sought to ease the crisis by introducing a digital payment system known as Iburaq. It attracted half a million users, or a quarter of the population, according to the World Bank, but was ultimately undermined by merchants insisting on cash.

Israel sought to ramp up financial pressure on Hamas earlier this year by tightening the distribution of humanitarian aid, which it said was routinely siphoned off by militants and then resold.

Experts said it is unclear if the cash brokers’ activities benefit Hamas, as some Israeli analysts claim.

The war has made it more difficult to determine who is behind all sorts of economic activity in the territory, said Omar Shabaan, director of Palthink for Strategic Studies, a Gaza-based think tank.

"It's a dark place now. You don't know who is bringing cigarettes into Gaza," he said, giving just one example. "It's like a mafia."

These same deep-pocketed traders are likely the ones running cash brokerages, and selling basic foodstuffs, he said. "They benefit by imposing these commissions," he said.

Once families run out of cash, they are forced to turn to humanitarian aid.

Al-Farra said that is what prompted him to begin seeking food at an aid distribution center, where it is common for Palestinians to jostle over one other for sacks of flour and boxes of pasta.

"This is the only way I can feed my family," he said.