Hajj Ceremony Begins Amidst War in Gaza and Extreme Heat Above 40 Degrees

Around 1.6 million Muslim pilgrims, alongside many from within Saudi Arabia, began this year's Hajj rituals in the desert of Mina on Friday, June 15. This year's Hajj is taking place while public opinion in many Islamic countries is embroiled in the devastating and costly war ongoing in Gaza; a war that began after the extremist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 of last year and continues to this day. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. Meanwhile, the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt has been closed for a month due to Israeli military operations in the area, preventing Palestinians from Gaza from participating in this year's Hajj. However, King Salman of Saudi Arabia invited 1,000 Palestinians who had exited Gaza before the Rafah crossing was closed, most of whom were in Egypt, to participate in the Hajj at Saudi Arabia's expense. The invited Palestinians are those who lost someone in the Gaza war or whose relatives were injured and went to Egypt for treatment. Palestinian officials in the West Bank have also stated that 4,200 pilgrims from these regions are participating in this year's Hajj. Palestinian pilgrims from the West Bank arrive in Saudi Arabia via Jordan. This year's Hajj is also taking place under conditions where the support of allied proxy groups of the Islamic Republic, including Hezbollah in Lebanon for Hamas, and Israel's military response to this support has placed the region on the brink of another war between Israel and Hezbollah. The Saudi government, which has had a cold relationship with Hamas and has long believed that many of Hezbollah's movements are detrimental to Lebanon and the region, is hosting the Hajj this year while having better relations with the Islamic Republic compared to a decade ago. Saudi Arabia has also severely criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza war and called for an immediate ceasefire. For the first time since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, pilgrims from Syria have also arrived in Mecca via direct flights from Damascus. An unknown number of Syrians living in areas controlled by armed rebels against the Damascus government have reached Saudi Arabia via Turkey. The President of Egypt, whose country is working to establish a ceasefire in Gaza, is among the Muslim leaders who have gone to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince, met on Thursday at the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. According to the Associated Press, security measures have been established in Mecca and its surroundings, and those without permission to perform Hajj are being prevented from entering Mecca at checkpoints on the roads leading to the city. The Islamic Republic of Iran, after a decade-long crisis in relations with Saudi Arabia and a relative improvement in relations over the past year, has managed to send over 80,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year, but the presence of the Iranian media team in Saudi Arabia has already been tense. Two weeks ago, Saudi Arabia expelled a six-member Iranian team that Tehran referred to as 'members of the Iranian media delegation' in Medina. A reporter from Al-Alam and the Islamic Republic's state television was among those expelled. Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, told Hajj officials that 'this year's Hajj is a Hajj of disavowal.' The insistence of Iranian government-affiliated figures to hold a ceremony on the sidelines of Hajj, which they call 'disavowal of polytheists,' has long led to tensions and crises between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia imposed strict restrictions on the presence of pilgrims for three years following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, but lifted these restrictions last year. Mohammed al-Abd al-Aali, the spokesman for the Saudi Ministry of Health, stated on Friday that one of the biggest challenges of this year's Hajj is the extreme heat, with temperatures in Saudi Arabia currently exceeding 40 degrees. Muslim pilgrims from around the world and Saudi Arabia will be at the plain of Arafat on Saturday; a desert hill where it is said that the Prophet Muhammad delivered his last sermon. After continuing the Hajj rituals, including standing at Arafat and Muzdalifah, pilgrims will return to Mina on Sunday to throw seven pebbles at the Jamarat and celebrate Eid al-Adha with the sacrifice of an animal.