King Salman issues royal order to host family members of Palestinian victims for Hajj

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz has issued a royal order to host an additional 1,000 family members of Palestinians who were killed or wounded in Gaza for Hajj, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday.

Under the initiative “Hosting Initiative for Pilgrims from the Families of Martyrs and the Wounded from the Gaza Strip,” a total of 2,000 pilgrims will arrive from Palestine.

The Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance Sheikh Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh said the move reflects the Kingdom’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause on all levels, SPA reported.

He stated that this exceptional hosting alleviates the hardships faced by the Palestinian people in Gaza, adding that the humanitarian gesture was not unfamiliar to the Kingdom, which has stood alongside the Palestinian people since the era of the late founder King Abdulaziz, SPA quoted him as saying.

Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

The pilgrimage usually takes place between the 8th and the 13th of Dhu al-Hijjah and Muslims from all over the world gather in Mecca to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Hajj season this year is expected to begin on June 14.

More than 1.3 million registered pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the hajj as of Saturday, Mecca regional authorities said on X.