Hajj association accuses PA of restricting Gaza pilgrims and limiting access to Hajj

The Association of Hajj and Umrah Companies in the Gaza Strip has accused the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments in Ramallah of restricting Gaza residents from performing Hajj this year, alleging deliberate neglect of pilgrims from the enclave.

Awad Abu Madhkour, a member of the association, said in statements to Quds Press that the ministry bears “direct responsibility” for the difficulties faced by Gazans seeking to undertake the pilgrimage.

He claimed that the ministry had cancelled travel arrangements for pilgrims departing from within the Gaza Strip and limited this year’s Hajj procedures to Gazans residing abroad, including those living in Egypt and other countries.

According to Abu Madhkour, the ministry opened registration for Gaza pilgrims — including individuals who had already registered the previous year, entered the Hajj lottery and paid the required fees — a move he described as “illogical”. He argued that priority should instead have been given to new applicants.

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He also criticised the short registration window, which lasted no more than five days and included Palestinians living in Egypt and elsewhere outside Gaza, while residents inside the Strip were excluded on the grounds of travel complications — a justification he said imposed further restrictions on Gazans.

Abu Madhkour noted that Gaza’s annual Hajj quota stands at 2,508 pilgrims, in addition to 25 administrative staff, adding that around 1,400 Gazans living outside the Strip registered this year.

He further alleged that the Ministry of Religious Endowments closed the registration portal before the Gaza quota had been filled, claiming that the remaining places would instead be allocated to pilgrims from the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The ministry has not publicly responded to the accusations at the time of reporting.

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