Israel blocks Gaza Hajj access

Israel has blocked Gaza residents from traveling to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage for a third consecutive year, leaving would-be pilgrims in the enclave as the annual rites begin. Al Jazeera reported on May 24 that border closures had again prevented Gazans from leaving for Mecca, despite months of ceasefire diplomacy and a partial reopening of the Rafah crossing. Reuters reported on May 20 that only a narrow category of travelers has been allowed out since February, largely patients needing treatment and a small number of escorts. The restrictions have left religious travel, study and work trips effectively frozen for most of Gaza's population. ### How are Gazans usually able to leave for Hajj? Rafah, on Gaza's border with Egypt, has historically been the main route for Palestinians in the enclave to travel abroad, including for the pilgrimage to Mecca. Before the war that began in 2023, at least 3,000 Gazans performed Hajj each year, according to Reuters. Since then, the crossing has been shut or only partially reopened under tight restrictions, cutting off the usual route used by pilgrims. (aljazeera.com) A February reopening did not restore normal travel. Al Jazeera reported that the crossing's limited operation has allowed passage only for patients needing medical treatment abroad, while other travel needs, including pilgrimage, remain nearly impossible. Reuters separately reported that only a few hundred people have been permitted to pass each week. (al-monitor.com) ### Who says how many people have been affected? Gaza's Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said more than 10,000 people have been prevented from performing Hajj over the past three years because of the shutdown of Rafah. The ministry also said at least 71 people who had won places in previous official draws died during the war before they could travel. Those figures were cited by Al Jazeera in its May 24 report. (aljazeera.com) Hanan al-Hams, 65, told Al Jazeera she had been selected to perform Hajj in 2024 before the war upended her plans. "I lost my son, my home was destroyed, and now I am deprived of the journey I waited decades for," she said, according to the report. Reuters, in a separate dispatch from Khan Younis, quoted 64-year-old Najia Abu Lehia saying she and her husband had registered before the war and were later blocked by the fighting and border closures. (aljazeera.com) ### What has Israel said about the travel restrictions? COGAT, the Israeli military agency that oversees access to Gaza, told Reuters that the Rafah arrangement permits passage only for humanitarian cases. Reuters reported that COGAT said traveler lists are determined by Egyptian authorities and approved by Israeli security services. That framework has excluded Hajj pilgrims from the limited movement now allowed through the crossing. (aljazeera.com) The broader movement restrictions remain in place across Gaza. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on May 15 that repeated displacement and severe movement restrictions continued to disrupt daily life, while access to essential services remained limited. OCHA also said only one in every two aid trucks from Egypt could offload at Israeli-controlled crossings along Gaza's perimeter in the first 11 days of May. (al-monitor.com) ### What else does this mean for the coming days? May 27 marks Eid al-Adha this year, the holiday that coincides with the Hajj pilgrimage. Reuters reported that Gaza's agriculture ministry said residents would mark the festival without sacrificial animals for a third straight year because of Israeli restrictions and the destruction of the livestock sector during the war. (unocha.org) Saudi Arabia's Hajj season is now under way, while Gaza residents selected in earlier pilgrimage draws remain unable to leave unless crossing rules change. As of May 20, Reuters reported that only 5,304 people had traveled in and out of Gaza since February, citing Gaza's government media office, and COGAT said passage remained confined to humanitarian cases. (al-monitor.com)