For third year in a row, Israel blocks Hajj pilgrimage for Gaza Muslims

Hanan al-Hams was among the 3,000 Palestinians from Gaza scheduled to travel for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in 2024. But her lifelong dream to perform Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, was shattered by Israel’s war on Gaza, launched on October 7, 2024.

“I lost my son, my home was destroyed, and now I am deprived of the journey I waited decade...