Gazans blocked from Muslim pilgrimage and festival celebrations

Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza remain unable to travel to Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage as ongoing border restrictions continue despite a ceasefire agreement earlier this year as reported by Al-Monitor and agencies on May 20th.

For many Gazans, the inability to perform Hajj — one of Islam’s Five Pillars — has become another painful consequence of the war between Israel and Hamas that erupted in 2023. Before the conflict, around 3,000 Palestinians from Gaza travelled to Mecca every year to complete the pilgrimage.

Although a US-brokered ceasefire led to the partial reopening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt in February, access remains tightly limited. Only a few hundred people, mainly medical patients and escorts, are permitted to cross weekly.

Among those still waiting is 64-year-old Najia Abu Lehia, who had hoped to complete Hajj with her husband before he died last year.

Speaking from a tent encampment in Khan Younis, Abu Lehia said she and her husband had already been selected for the pilgrimage before war halted travel.

“I am worried I’ll die while longing to perform the Hajj,” she told Reuters, adding that she watches footage of pilgrims in Mecca on her phone while remaining stranded in Gaza.

The restrictions are also affecting preparations for Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s most significant religious festivals, which coincides with the Hajj season. Gaza’s agriculture ministry said residents will celebrate without sacrificial animals for a third consecutive year because of severe livestock shortages caused by the war.

Officials said farms, veterinary facilities, barns and feed warehouses have been heavily damaged during the conflict, devastating the territory’s livestock sector.

Before the war, Gaza imported tens of thousands of sheep and calves ahead of Eid celebrations each year.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency responsible for coordinating access to Gaza, said the Rafah agreement currently permits travel only for humanitarian cases approved by Israeli authorities. The agency also stated that hundreds of aid trucks carrying food enter Gaza daily.

However, Hamas authorities claim aid deliveries remain far below required levels and accuse Israel of maintaining severe restrictions on movement and supplies.

Al-Monitor and agencies, Maghrebi.org