A pilgrimage to nowhere for under-siege Gazans
Palestinians living in Gaza have been unable to perform Umrah thanks to the Israeli blockage and the closure of the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
2 min read
More than 11,000 Gazans went on the Umrah pilgrimage in 2014 [AFP]
Egypt's decision to keep the Rafah border crossing closed is a source of sadness and frustration for many in Gaza.
The border's closure has stopped Abdul Rahim Fayez, 61, from travelling to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform the holy Umrah pilgrimage, something he has been waiting passionately to do for years.
Egyptian authorities have kept the border crossing closed under that it must contain the security situation in its restive Sinai region.
Fayez told al-Araby al-Jadeed he had been planning to perform the Umrah at the start of this year. Egypt has opened the border for a few days at a time to allow those needing humanitarian assistance, stranded students, and foreign passport and resident permit holders to pass.
A total of 77 pilgrimage agencies in the Gaza Strip have also suffered from increasing financial losses because of the border's closure, as they have been unable to send anyone on Umrah trips for the past three months.
Awad Abu Mazkour, the head of the association representing pilgrimage agencies and travel companies, says Gaza's agencies and companies have been unable to organise trips since the beginning of the season on 5 December 2014.
The season continues until the middle of Ramadan in early July.
Abu Mazkour told al-Araby al-Jadeed that 5,000 Palestinians in Gaza had been unable to carry out their pilgimage.
He said all relevant parties, including the Palestinian Authority and the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, had been contacted in an effort to get them moving. However, it ultimately depended on the decision of the Egyptians.
Eid Hanif, the chairman of the Hanif pilgrimage agency, has asked Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah border crossing for a few days to allow Gaza's pilgrims to cross. He told al-Araby al-Jadeed that if the crossing remained closed his company would lose more than $200,000, because it had booked hotels for the pilgrims.
In 2014, more than 11,000 Gazans went on the Umrah pilgrimage.
This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
The border's closure has stopped Abdul Rahim Fayez, 61, from travelling to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform the holy Umrah pilgrimage, something he has been waiting passionately to do for years.
Egyptian authorities have kept the border crossing closed under that it must contain the security situation in its restive Sinai region.
Fayez told al-Araby al-Jadeed he had been planning to perform the Umrah at the start of this year. Egypt has opened the border for a few days at a time to allow those needing humanitarian assistance, stranded students, and foreign passport and resident permit holders to pass.
A total of 77 pilgrimage agencies in the Gaza Strip have also suffered from increasing financial losses because of the border's closure, as they have been unable to send anyone on Umrah trips for the past three months.
 |
A total of 77 pilgrimage agencies in the Gaza Strip have also suffered from increasing financial losses because of the border's closure. |
Awad Abu Mazkour, the head of the association representing pilgrimage agencies and travel companies, says Gaza's agencies and companies have been unable to organise trips since the beginning of the season on 5 December 2014.
The season continues until the middle of Ramadan in early July.
Abu Mazkour told al-Araby al-Jadeed that 5,000 Palestinians in Gaza had been unable to carry out their pilgimage.
He said all relevant parties, including the Palestinian Authority and the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, had been contacted in an effort to get them moving. However, it ultimately depended on the decision of the Egyptians.
Eid Hanif, the chairman of the Hanif pilgrimage agency, has asked Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah border crossing for a few days to allow Gaza's pilgrims to cross. He told al-Araby al-Jadeed that if the crossing remained closed his company would lose more than $200,000, because it had booked hotels for the pilgrims.
In 2014, more than 11,000 Gazans went on the Umrah pilgrimage.
This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
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