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Saudi Arabia Temporarily Suspends Entry for Umrah Pilgrimage, Tourism

Kuwaitis coming back from Iran wait at Sheikh Saad Airport in Kuwait City, on February 22, 2020, before being taken to a hospital to be tested for coronavirus. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
Kuwaitis coming back from Iran wait at Sheikh Saad Airport in Kuwait City, on February 22, 2020, before being taken to a hospital to be tested for coronavirus. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
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Saudi Arabia Temporarily Suspends Entry for Umrah Pilgrimage, Tourism

Kuwaitis coming back from Iran wait at Sheikh Saad Airport in Kuwait City, on February 22, 2020, before being taken to a hospital to be tested for coronavirus. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)
Kuwaitis coming back from Iran wait at Sheikh Saad Airport in Kuwait City, on February 22, 2020, before being taken to a hospital to be tested for coronavirus. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)

Saudi Arabia on Thursday suspended visas for visits to Islam's holiest sites for the "umrah" pilgrimage, as part of measures to stop the spread of the noval coronavirus.

"The Kingdom's government has decided to take the following precautions: suspending entry to the Kingdom for the purpose of umrah and visit to the Prophet's mosque temporarily," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Suspending entry into the Kingdom with tourist visas for those coming from countries, in which the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) is a danger,” it said.

Saudi Arabia has had no cases of the coronavirus but it has been spreading in some neighboring countries.

The virus first appeared in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December.

“Saudi Arabia renews its support for all international measures to limit the spread of this virus, and urges its citizens to exercise caution before traveling to countries experiencing coronavirus outbreaks,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in its statement.

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Gulf

GCC Strongly Condemns Israel for Striking UNRWA School in Gaza

Palestinians look on the damage after the Israeli air strike hit UNRWA's Al-Jaouni School housing displaced people in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, 06 July 2024. (EPA)
Palestinians look on the damage after the Israeli air strike hit UNRWA's Al-Jaouni School housing displaced people in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, 06 July 2024. (EPA)
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GCC Strongly Condemns Israel for Striking UNRWA School in Gaza

Palestinians look on the damage after the Israeli air strike hit UNRWA's Al-Jaouni School housing displaced people in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, 06 July 2024. (EPA)
Palestinians look on the damage after the Israeli air strike hit UNRWA's Al-Jaouni School housing displaced people in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, 06 July 2024. (EPA)

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi strongly condemned on Saturday Israel for striking the Al-Jaouni school of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the Nuseirat camp in Gaza.

In a statement, Albudaiwi stressed that the brutal and ongoing attacks by the Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in Gaza and other Palestinian territories, and their direct targeting of refugee camps, “are a flagrant violation of international laws and humanitarian treaties.”

He described these acts as “war crimes that reflect Israel’s criminal behavior, in complete disregard of legal, moral, and humanitarian values.”

Albudaiwi called on the international community, including all states and organizations, “to take immediate and serious action to implement a ceasefire, stop the dangerous Israeli military operations, and hold those responsible for these violations accountable.”

He also underlined the “firm position of the GCC states in supporting the just Palestinian cause and making all efforts to protect the Palestinian people from the brutality and criminal behavior of the Israeli forces.”