Life on Hold

Over a million Syrians have flooded into Lebanon, where they now make up a quarter of the population. We share their experiences in 10 powerful Internet videos from Al Jazeera, supplemented by a graphic representation of their escape route. Young Mohammad works with his father in a kebab shop and reflects on the bodies he saw and his friend, who was killed in a bomb explosion. “I wish it was me who was killed,” he tells us. A celebrated poet sees the refugees above all as people who have lost their purpose in life. As a former employee of the Syrian Ministry of Education, it’s extra hard for him to watch his son missing school. “A whole generation is being lost.” For a 17-year-old Syrian soldier who fought against government forces in Syria, it was kill or be killed. “After I killed the first one, I felt invincible.” He’s now in Lebanon being treated for a gunshot wound and can no longer work. An idealistic young doctor was repeatedly imprisoned for his opposition to the Syrian regime. He finally fled Syria and had to give up his dream of a career in medicine.