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First Flight of ‘Makkah Route Initiative’ Beneficiaries from Morocco Arrives in Kingdom

First Flight of ‘Makkah Route Initiative’ Beneficiaries from Morocco Arrives in Kingdom
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First Flight of ‘Makkah Route Initiative’ Beneficiaries from Morocco Arrives in Kingdom

First Flight of ‘Makkah Route Initiative’ Beneficiaries from Morocco Arrives in Kingdom

The first flight of beneficiaries from the “Makkah Route Initiative” from the Kingdom of Morocco arrived on Saturday at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.
The flight came to the Kingdom through the initiative's terminal at Mohammed V International Airport.
The Makkah Route Initiative is one of the Ministry of Interior’s initiatives under the Pilgrim Experience Program, a part of Saudi Vision 2030, SPA reported.
The initiative aims to complete the procedures for pilgrims in their home countries, starting with the electronic issuance of visas and capturing biometric data, followed by completing passport procedures at the departure airport after verifying health requirements.
Additionally, it includes tagging and sorting luggage according to transportation and accommodation arrangements in the Kingdom.
Upon arrival, pilgrims are transported directly by buses to their accommodations in Makkah and Madinah via designated routes, while service agencies handle the delivery of their luggage to their residences.

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Mediator Qatar Says Israel ‘Did Not Abide’ by Gaza Truce Deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
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Mediator Qatar Says Israel ‘Did Not Abide’ by Gaza Truce Deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, left, at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said Thursday that Israel had failed to respect January’s ceasefire agreement in Gaza, as he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

“As you know, we reached an agreement months ago, but unfortunately Israel did not abide by this agreement,” said the ruler of Qatar, a key mediator of the deal.

A truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Qatar with Egypt and the United States, came into force on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of fighting triggered by Palestinian fighters’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The initial phase of the truce ended in early March, with the two sides unable to agree on the next steps. Israel resumed air and ground attacks across the Gaza Strip on March 18 after earlier halting the entry of aid.

Israel said Wednesday that it had converted 30 percent of Gaza into a buffer zone in the widening offensive.

Sheikh Tamim said Qatar would “strive to bridge perspectives in order to reach an agreement that ends the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza.”

Putin recognized Qatar’s “serious efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict” and called deaths in the conflict “a tragedy.”

“A long-term settlement can only be achieved on the basis of the UN resolution and first of all connected to the establishment of two states,” he added.

Israel’s renewed assault has so far killed at least 1,691 people in Gaza, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory reported, bringing the overall toll since the war erupted to 51,065, most of them civilians.

Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.