Pilgrims of Gaza: Palestinians Deprived of Hajj for three years, Arab Countries urged to Intervene
Deprived of performing the Hajj pilgrimage for the third consecutive year, Gaza residents wait for the opening of the Strip’s crossings—specifically the Rafah crossing—to facilitate the movement of pilgrims. The Association of Hajj and Umrah Companies organized an event to demand their departure, calling on Arab and Islamic nations and the international community to intervene.
Mohammed Qasim Shubeir, head of the Al-Ahli Hajj and Umrah Company, demanded the opening of the crossings as a religious right. He further explained that the majority of pilgrims are elderly and that the closure has caused significant damage to company owners in Gaza.
While preparations are underway in various countries to dispatch pilgrims to the House of God for this year’s Hajj season, Palestinian pilgrims from the Gaza Strip remain deprived of performing the pilgrimage for the third consecutive year. This is due to the Israeli enemy’s closure of the Strip’s crossings, preventing pilgrims from departing and visiting the Holy House.
For the people of Gaza, performing Hajj and reaching the House of God has become a mere dream—a symbol of the ongoing Zionist siege that the Strip has endured for years. This situation has been exacerbated by the crime of genocide committed by the Israeli enemy army against the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
The Palestinian Association of Hajj and Umrah Companies in the Gaza Strip organized a sit-in and press conference today, Thursday, to demand secured passage for pilgrims from the Strip to perform Hajj for the current season, 1447 AH.
Participants expressed their protest and condemnation of the continued prevention of pilgrims from leaving Gaza for the third year in a row, amidst the ongoing Zionist aggression against the Strip.
The Association appealed to Arab and Islamic countries, the international community, and human rights organizations for urgent intervention to ensure freedom of movement and provide international guarantees for the safe departure and return of pilgrims.
In a statement to the Yemen News Agency (Saba), the head of the Al-Ahli Hajj and Umrah Company in Gaza, Mohammed Qasim Shubeir, explained that the people of the Strip have been deprived for three years of performing Hajj—the fifth pillar of Islam—since the start of the Israeli war of genocide and the total closure of crossings.
Shubeir called upon the Palestinian leadership, represented by President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as leaders of Arab and Islamic nations and the international community, to fulfill their responsibilities. He urged them to pressure the Israeli enemy to open the crossings, particularly the Rafah crossing, for pilgrims to depart for Hajj in Mecca and return safely.
He noted that the majority of pilgrims are elderly, over the age of 60, emphasizing that Hajj and Umrah company owners have suffered greatly after the Israeli enemy destroyed their facilities, businesses, and homes, committing a crime of genocide against the people of Gaza.
He stressed that it is a religious and moral duty for Arab and Islamic countries to pressure the Israeli enemy to open the crossings for the pilgrims.
Shubeir told Saba: “We came here to send a message to the President of the Palestinian Authority, his deputy, the Minister of Awqaf, and the Egyptian leadership represented by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, along with all Arab and Islamic leaders. We urge them to use all means to facilitate the departure and safe return of Gaza’s pilgrims. This is a duty upon them all to prove their goodwill toward the afflicted people of Gaza, whose possessions have been destroyed by the Israeli enemy and who have endured unprecedented suffering.”
He added: “The Rafah land crossing, which has been closed for nearly three years, is the only gateway for the pilgrims’ safe departure and return. We are making a demand for a right—a religious demand, not an ordinary one. Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam.”
He questioned: “Why this Arab and Islamic inaction toward our people in Gaza? We are not asking for money, food, or drink today; we are asking for the opening of the Rafah crossing to dispatch pilgrims and ensure their safe return after performing their religious duty.”
Shubeir pointed out that the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf published a registration link for pilgrims outside the Gaza Strip but excluded those within it, expressing the Hajj and Umrah companies’ rejection of this measure.
