Israel Blocks Hajj for 10,000 Gaza Muslims for 3rd Year as Rafah Crossing Stays Shut
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · May 24
Israel Blocks Hajj for 10,000 Gaza Muslims for 3rd Year as Rafah Crossing Stays Shut
5 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · May 24
More than 10,000 Gaza residents have been unable to perform Hajj for a third straight year, with this season again canceled for pilgrims inside the enclave, Gaza's Awqaf Ministry said.
Israel's shutdown of the Rafah crossing and its long-running blockade have made non-medical travel nearly impossible, even after a 2025 ceasefire that left Israel occupying more than 60% of Gaza.
At least 71 Gazans who had previously won Hajj places died during the war before reaching Mecca, while Gaza's annual quota of about 3,000 has been reassigned to Palestinians living abroad and temporarily to the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
A May 2026 PCPS study said Gaza's Hajj and Umrah sector has collapsed, with all 78 licensed travel companies knocked out, more than $4 million in capital losses and at least 1,500 jobs hit.
Gaza officials and organizers say the restrictions amount to collective punishment and have appealed to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the wider international community to separate pilgrimage access from politics.
Is the targeted collapse of Gaza's Hajj economy a new form of 'economic genocide'?
When a lifelong pilgrimage is denied, what can international law do for those trapped by conflict?
Can digital wallets offer Palestinians financial freedom from a crippled banking system and blockade?
Blocked from Hajj: The Impact of Gaza’s Rafah Crossing Closure (2024–2026)
Overview
From 2024 to 2026, Palestinians in Gaza have been unable to perform the Hajj pilgrimage due to the ongoing closure and severe restrictions at the Rafah border crossing. The Waqf Ministry cannot organize the pilgrimage because they lack guarantees that the crossing will open, making it impossible to secure the necessary contracts for travel and accommodation. This situation worsened after Israel seized the Palestinian side of Rafah in May 2024, further limiting movement. As a result, thousands of Gazans, especially the elderly, are denied a fundamental religious duty, deepening their sense of isolation and loss.