Meena: Braving scorching heat, Muslim pilgrims gathered in a huge tented camp in Mecca on Friday, officially marking the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The first thing they did was to circumambulate Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba. Over 1.5 million pilgrims from across the world have already gathered in and around Mecca for the Hajj, and the number is set to rise with more pilgrims from Saudi Arabia joining in. Saudi authorities expect the number of pilgrims to exceed 2 million this year.
Palestinians could not go for Haj
This year’s Hajj is taking place against the backdrop of an ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip that has pushed the entire West to the brink of a regional war, with Israel and its allies on one side and Iran-backed terrorist groups on the other. Palestinians living in Gaza’s coastal region were unable to travel to Mecca for Hajj this year because Israel closed the Rafah crossing in Gaza’s southern city bordering Egypt.
The King of Saudi Arabia invited these people
Palestinian officials said 4,200 pilgrims from the occupied West Bank arrived in Mecca for the Hajj. Saudi officials said more than 1,000 people from the families of Palestinians killed or wounded in the Gaza war also arrived to perform the Hajj at the invitation of Saudi King Salman. Before the Rafah crossing was closed, 1,000 invited people were already outside Gaza, most of them in Egypt.
Direct flights from Damascus to Mecca
This year Syrian pilgrims also travelled to Mecca on direct flights from Damascus for the first time in more than a decade. The move is part of an ongoing thaw in relations between Saudi Arabia and conflict-torn Syria. Syrians living in rebel-held areas previously had to cross the border into neighbouring Turkey for their journey to Mecca for the Hajj.
Travel was affected due to Corona
The annual hajj pilgrimage has resumed on its usual grand scale after three years of heavy restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1.8 million pilgrims performed the hajj last year, close to the level of 2019 when more than 2.4 million people did it. (AP)
Also read:
US Supreme Court’s big decision, rejected the petition to ban abortion pills; know the whole case
Kuwait fire tragedy: Bodies of 45 Indian citizens identified, know what caused the terrible fire
Latest World News