At the highest point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, Mount Arafat, more than 1.5 million Muslims endured intense heat on Saturday, spending hours in prayer, particularly for Palestinians in Gaza, which has been devastated by conflict.
Worshippers, dressed in white, started showing up early for the hardest day of the yearly rituals, which involved climbing the rugged 70-meter (230-foot) hill where the Prophet Mohammed is said to have delivered his last sermon.
“This is the most important day,” said 46-year-old Egyptian Mohammed Asser, who came prepared with a list of prayers. “I pray also for the Palestinians. May God help them.”
This year’s hajj is unfolding in the shadow of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which was triggered by the Palestinian militants’ unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7.
1,194 individuals were killed in the assault, the majority of whom were civilians, according to an AFP count based on Israeli government statistics.
The health ministry of the Hamas-ruled enclave reports that at least 37,266 individuals have died in Gaza as a result of Israel’s retaliatory military attack, the majority of them were civilians.
Tawfiq al-Rabiah, the Saudi minister in charge of religious travel, issued a warning last week declaring that “no political activity” will be allowed during the hajj.
However, that did not deter one pilgrim from chanting in favor of the Palestinians, who have been under constant bombardment for more than eight months.
“Pray for our brothers in Palestine, in Gaza… may God give victory to the Muslims,” he shouted.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the top leader of Iran, stated that “the ironclad resistance of Palestine and the patient, oppressed people of Gaza… must be fully supported in every way” in a greeting to hajj pilgrims on Saturday.
According to state media, some 2,000 Palestinians are doing the hajj at Saudi King Salman’s personal invitation.
