First of Iranian Hajj Pilgrims Arrive in Saudi Arabia

Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)
Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)
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First of Iranian Hajj Pilgrims Arrive in Saudi Arabia

Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)
Muslim pilgrims pray near the Kaaba, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca. (AFP)

Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Mohammed Benten revealed on Sunday that the first Iranian pilgrims had started arriving in the Kingdom to perform the annual Hajj rites.

He stressed that the ministry has completed preparations of all Hajj services for the pilgrims, including Iranians, who started arriving in Saudi Arabia.

The Iranian pilgrims landed in Medina.

Preparations to receive pilgrims from Qatar are also complete, said Benten.

The minister had inspected the contract signed between the south Asia company and the pilgrims affairs office, as well as the contract signed between the company and the Qatar pilgrims affairs bureau.

In addition, he toured the civil institutions for non-Arab pilgrims from African countries and South Asia in order to present the operation plans for the 2017 Hajj season.

The presentation included several of the programs, goals, and execution, assessment and supervision mechanisms.

He also presented the food, transportation, awareness and accommodation services and efforts to improve them in line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

At the end of his tour, Benten stressed the importance of providing quality services that reflect the hospitality of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques towards the pilgrims.

He highlighted the importance of Hajj organizers exerting efforts and bolstering cooperation to offer the best services and ensure the success of this year’s pilgrimage.



People Displaced from North Gaza Face an Agonizing Wait

 Two Palestinian girls attempt to walk through a flooded area after a night of heavy rainfall at a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday January. 23, 2025. (AP)
Two Palestinian girls attempt to walk through a flooded area after a night of heavy rainfall at a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday January. 23, 2025. (AP)
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People Displaced from North Gaza Face an Agonizing Wait

 Two Palestinian girls attempt to walk through a flooded area after a night of heavy rainfall at a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday January. 23, 2025. (AP)
Two Palestinian girls attempt to walk through a flooded area after a night of heavy rainfall at a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Thursday January. 23, 2025. (AP)

For Palestinians in central and southern Gaza hoping to return to what remains of their homes in the war-battered north, the terms of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas have forced an agonizing wait.

The agreement allows Palestinian civilians in the south to take the coastal Rashid road to northern Gaza starting on Saturday, when Israeli troops are expected to withdraw from the key route and Hamas is set to release four Israeli hostages in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners.

After 15 months of Israel’s invasion and bombardment of the Gaza Strip, residents will enjoy more freedom of movement from the north to the south of the enclave.

As Palestinians in other parts of the strip reunite with scattered family members, pick their way through vast swaths of rubble and try to salvage what remains of their homes and their belongings, people seeking to return to the north have in limbo, their hopes and worries building.

“The first thing I’ll do, I’ll kiss the dirt of the land on which I was born and raised,” said Nadia Al-Debs, one of the many people gathered in makeshift tents in Gaza’s central city of Deir al-Balah preparing to set out for home in Gaza City the next day. “We’ll return so my children can see their father.”

Nafouz al-Rabai, displaced from the urban al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, said the day she gets home will be a “day of joy for us.”

But she acknowledged it would be painful to absorb the scale of damage to the home and the coastal area she knew and loved.

“God knows if I’ll find (my house) standing or not,” she said. “It’s a very bad life.”