Palestinians in Gaza resume Umrah pilgrimage after 2-year hiatus

Pilgrimage halted following spread of coronavirus

By Nour Abu Eisha
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Palestinian pilgrims in Gaza on Monday departed to Saudi Arabia for Muslim Umrah pilgrimage for the first in two years.

In a statement, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said the first group of pilgrims left Gaza for Saudi Arabia through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

Chairman of the Association of Hajj and Umrah Companies in Gaza, Awad Abu Madkour, said the first batch of pilgrims was made up of 298 people.

Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages were suspended in 2020 due to the spread of coronavirus.

In recent days, a delegation representing Hajj and Umrah agencies in Gaza agreed with the Egyptian authorities to reopen the Cairo International Airport for pilgrims from Gaza.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar

Kaynak:

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