00:01The small denomination cash crisis in the Gaza Strip is worsening at an unprecedented rate
00:08with a sharp decline in cash liquidity and a prevalence of large denomination bills
00:13which has disrupted daily transactions and created a distorted market
00:17that makes even the simplest buying and selling difficult.
00:43In the markets of Gaza, the paradox is cruel.
00:47People have money, but they can't spend it.
00:49A 200 shekel note, about 60 dollars, is worth plenty on paper,
00:54but in the street of Nusrat, it can't buy a single loaf of bread.
00:58The reason, there is no change.
01:21Small coins and low-value bills have vanished at the stalls, the exchange is no longer silver for bread.
01:28It's a negotiation of survival.
01:31If a vendor can't break your bill, you leave empty-handed,
01:34or you're forced to take your change in matches, spices, or a piece of candy.
01:57The market is now dominated by the blue shekel, the 200 notes.
02:01It makes up 80% of the cash left in Gaza.
02:04But getting your hands on one comes at a price.
02:06Cash-out agents are charging up to 40% commission just to turn a digital bank balance into paper.
02:32Liquidity has plummeted by 45%, while some turn to digital wallets.
02:37The elderly and the disconnected are being erased from the economy.
02:40In Gaza today, change isn't just money, it's the difference between eating and going hungry.
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