First batch of Gaza pilgrims leave for Saudi Arabia

The first group of Palestinian pilgrims from the Gaza Strip left the Cairo International Airport today en route to Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Palestine News Agency (WAFA) reported. Diab Al Louh, Palestine’s ambassador to Egypt, said 795 pilgrims who left Gaza yesterday are the first in nine groups comprising 2,900 pilgrims in total heading to Mecca in Saudi Arabia for Haj. He said 11 international flights from Cairo during the coming four days are allocated for the next batches of Gaza pilgrims leaving for Saudi Arabia.

As one of the five pillars of Islam, is prescribed to all able Muslims to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah at least once in their lifetime. It is one of the basic tenets of Islam that, combined with the four other pillars, form a foundation of life for Muslims. Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to the holiest city for Muslims, Makkah in Saudi Arabia, during Dhul Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar.

The ritual literally translates as “to attend a journey” and denotes both the outward act of physically traveling and the inward act of an individual’s contemplation of their faith. Each year, millions of Muslims travel to Makkah to perform Hajj, with many also travelling on north to the city of Madinah. In 2018,  nearly two million people made the journey, with the Saudi government allocating a set number of pilgrims from each country to avoid overcrowding