麻豆约拍

All banks in Lebanon have been shut indefinitely. They say it is for safety reasons following a string of raids by customers demanding access to their own money. In one incident, a woman armed with a toy gun staged a bank hold-up to pay family medical bills.

Although the authorities have condemned the raids, they have drawn widespread public support. Since the 2019 collapse of Lebanon's financial system, 80% of the population is struggling for money. There are water shortages and frequent power cuts. We speak to Ghida who backs the bank raids because, she says, people are desperate.

Another impact is the lack of medicines. We hear from Elize, a cancer patient. She shares her experiences of trying to get the drugs she needs to stay alive. Her doctor, Professor Fadi Nasr, reminds us how hospitals in Lebanon used to be the best in the Middle East but they have now run out of basic supplies. He tells us people are dying at home with no treatment.

Two years after the massive explosion that ripped through the capital, Beirut, we also hear from women who tell us about the daily anxieties of living in the city and how they try to find escape.

(Photo: Lebanese depositors continue to heist banks to take their own money, Beirut, Lebanon,16 Sep 2022. Credit: Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE/Rex/Shutterstock)