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Saudi Arabia Opens Hajj Registration for Applicants within the Kingdom

Pilgrims keeping social distance and wearing face masks, perform farewell Tawaf around the holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque, after completing their extended Hajj, "Hajj Al Kabeer", during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, July 22, 2021. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri
Pilgrims keeping social distance and wearing face masks, perform farewell Tawaf around the holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque, after completing their extended Hajj, "Hajj Al Kabeer", during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, July 22, 2021. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri
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Saudi Arabia Opens Hajj Registration for Applicants within the Kingdom

Pilgrims keeping social distance and wearing face masks, perform farewell Tawaf around the holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque, after completing their extended Hajj, "Hajj Al Kabeer", during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, July 22, 2021. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri
Pilgrims keeping social distance and wearing face masks, perform farewell Tawaf around the holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque, after completing their extended Hajj, "Hajj Al Kabeer", during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, July 22, 2021. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced on Thursday the opening of early online registration for the Hajj 2023 season for pilgrims within the Kingdom through the Nusuk application.

This is part of the ministry’s efforts to facilitate the application procedures, upgrade the services’ quality, and enrich the religious and cultural experience of the pilgrims.

The ministry said in a press release on Thursday that there will be four categories of packages available for pilgrims. The economic package starts at 3,984 Saudi riyals ($1,060) and the most expensive package starts at 11,453 Saudi riyals ($3,042).

Pilgrims can choose to make one total payment or opt for three installments.

The ministry said that women will be able to perform Hajj without a mahram, or close male relative, to accompany them.

The minimum age for the online Hajj application is 12 years.

Priority will be given to pilgrims who have not performed Hajj before.

Pilgrims are also required to complete Covid-19 and influenza vaccines, in addition to having a valid Meningococcal ACWY vaccine certificate at least 10 days before arriving at the holy sites.

The ministry has urged pilgrims to only go through companies and institutions licensed by the Ministry for any Hajj-related services.

Registration for Hajj must be done by pilgrims themselves.

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Qatari Mission Searches for Bodies of Americans Killed by ISIS in Syria

A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)
A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)
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Qatari Mission Searches for Bodies of Americans Killed by ISIS in Syria

A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)
A photograph of US journalist James Foley taken on November 5, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. (AFP)

A Qatari mission has begun searching for the remains of US hostages killed by ISIS in Syria a decade ago, two sources briefed on the mission told Reuters, reviving a longstanding effort to recover their bodies.

ISIS, which controlled swathes of Syria and Iraq at the peak of its power from 2014-2017, beheaded numerous people in captivity, including Western hostages, and released videos of the killings.

Qatar's international search and rescue group began the search on Wednesday, accompanied by several Americans, the sources said. The group, deployed by Doha to earthquake zones in Morocco and Türkiye in recent years, had so far found the remains of three bodies, the sources said.

One of the sources - a Syrian security source - said the remains had yet to be identified. The second source said it was unclear how long the mission would last.

The US State Department had no immediate comment.

The Qatari mission gets under way as US President Donald Trump prepares to visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar next week and as Syria's new rulers seek relief from US sanctions.

The Syrian source said the mission's initial focus was on looking for the body of aid worker Peter Kassig, who was beheaded by ISIS in 2014 in Dabiq in northern Syria. The second source said Kassig's remains were among those they hoped to find.

US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff were among other Western hostages killed by ISIS. Their deaths were confirmed in 2014.

US aid worker Kayla Mueller was also killed in ISIS captivity. Her death was confirmed in 2015.

"We’re grateful for anyone taking on this task and risking their lives in some circumstances to try and find the bodies of Jim and the other hostages," said Diane Foley, James Foley's mother. "We thank all those involved in this effort."

Two ISIS members, both former British citizens who were part of a cell that beheaded American hostages, are serving life prison sentences in the United States.