Al-Shumaisi Checkpoint Implements Umrah Ban Decision amid Virus Concerns

Al Masjid an Nabawi, Medinah, Saudi Arabia
Al Masjid an Nabawi, Medinah, Saudi Arabia
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Al-Shumaisi Checkpoint Implements Umrah Ban Decision amid Virus Concerns

Al Masjid an Nabawi, Medinah, Saudi Arabia
Al Masjid an Nabawi, Medinah, Saudi Arabia

Saudi inspection monitors at the Al-Shumaisi government office, one of the largest checkpoints en route to Makkah, have upped precautionary measures, vetting all vehicles inbound from Jeddah and Medinah.

Security men and supportive personnel were deployed on all routes leading to Al-Shumaisi’s entrance gate. Cadres from the Ministry of Health were also present to screen visitors, especially those coming from outside Saudi Arabia, for the new Coronavirus (COVID-19).

According to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, a number of foreign Umrah goers were sent back to Jeddah despite them having arrived in Saudi Arabia prior to the issuance of orders regarding the precautionary measures.

Traffic remained smooth as a result of the efficiency of screeners and inspectors who preformed their jobs.

Al Masjid an Nabawi in Medinah is witnessing calm after the implementation of restrictions taken to prevent the outbreak of the coronavirus. These measures included suspending visitation.

Al Masjid an Nabawi official Jomaan al-Asiri told Asharq Al-Awsat that many measures have been implemented to ensure the safety of visitors. Large crowds are now banned from forming and the distance between visitor ranks has been expanded.

The new rules also include the closure of the mosque between the evening Isha prayers and Fajr prayers, and a ban on food entering the complex.



Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Israel's Decision to Occupy Gaza City

Palestinian watch as a plume of smoke rises during an Israeli strike on Gaza City's southern al-Zeitoun neighborhood on August 8, 2025. (AFP)
Palestinian watch as a plume of smoke rises during an Israeli strike on Gaza City's southern al-Zeitoun neighborhood on August 8, 2025. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Israel's Decision to Occupy Gaza City

Palestinian watch as a plume of smoke rises during an Israeli strike on Gaza City's southern al-Zeitoun neighborhood on August 8, 2025. (AFP)
Palestinian watch as a plume of smoke rises during an Israeli strike on Gaza City's southern al-Zeitoun neighborhood on August 8, 2025. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned on Friday Israel's decision to occupy Gaza City and categorically rejected its “ongoing crimes of starvation, brutal practices, and ethnic cleansing against the brotherly Palestinian people.”

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The inhumane practices and decisions adopted by the Israeli authorities, carried out without deterrence, reaffirm their disregard for the emotional, historical, and legal connection of the Palestinian people to their land and their legitimate rights over their territory according to international laws and humanitarian principles.”

The Kingdom warned that “the continued failure of the international community and the UN Security Council to immediately halt Israeli attacks and violations undermines the foundations of the international order and legitimacy, threatens regional and global security and peace, and risks grave consequences that encourage genocide and forced displacement.”

The Kingdom emphasized that “these ongoing Israeli crimes require the international community to take effective, firm, and deterrent measures to end the humanitarian catastrophe facing the Palestinian people and to achieve the solution agreed upon by peace-loving nations, which is the implementation of the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with relevant UN resolutions.”