State of Palestine: Palestinian pilgrims cross through Rafah to perform the Hajj

Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah border crossing on Monday, allowing Palestinians to travel to Saudi Arabia via Egypt to perform the Hajj. Palestinian pilgrims passed through a number of crossings both by bus and on foot as they made their way into Egypt. Other groups of Palestinians are expected to make the same journey in the next few days once they have received the relevant visas. Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf in Gaza, Hassan al-Saifi, told the Palestinian Information Centre that 6,000 Palestinians will travel for Hajj this year. Some three million Muslims are expected to arrive in the holy city of Mecca for the annual Islamic pilgrimage, a ritual that all able-bodied and financially able Muslims are required to undertake. Pilgrims largely stay in Mina, a sprawling tent city near Mecca.