Palestinian Pilgrims Bear the Weight of Conflict at Hajj
As millions of Muslims assemble in Makkah for the sacred Hajj pilgrimage, many Palestinians from Gaza embark on the journey while carrying the heavy burdens of war, displacement, and separation from those they love. Their hearts remain troubled by the violence back home even as they set foot on Islam’s holiest ground.
One such pilgrim is Mohammed Shehade, a 38‐year‐old engineer who departed Gaza in February to receive urgent cancer treatment in Egypt. Although he was allowed to leave, Israeli authorities did not permit his wife and four children to join him. His exit coincided with a rare pause in the conflict, affording him a fleeting chance to participate in Hajj. However, the spiritual fulfillment of visiting the sacred sites is overshadowed by the sorrow of being apart from his family.
In a conversation near Makkah’s Grand Mosque, Shehade expressed the profound agony of separation: “This is life’s greatest suffering—to be away from your family. Even if you are in the best place in the world, without your loved ones, happiness feels out of reach.” He recalled the many nights spent praying for an end to the conflict and for a reunion with his family, his voice thick with emotion.
More than 1,800 Gazans, including those already living in Egypt and others specially invited, are expected to perform Hajj this year. Like Shehade, many have found temporary refuge after escaping a brutal conflict that has devastated their homeland over the past 20 months.
Hearts in Gaza
The toll of the conflict remains staggering. According to local health officials, thousands of lives have been lost in recent months, with the rising death toll overwhelmingly impacting women and children. Amid this chaos, Shehade recalled the dual agony he faced upon leaving Gaza: the urgent need for surgery and the deep pain of parting from his family.
Another pilgrim, Rajaee Rajeh al-Kahlout, a 48‐year‐old businessman who fled with his wife and four children for Egypt, shared a similar story of loss. His home was destroyed and his livelihood shattered as his import-export business crumbled. Although he is grateful for the chance to perform Hajj, the shadow of war looms over every moment. “All my family—my sisters, my brothers—remain in Gaza. Every minute, my thoughts are with them,” he said, his words reflecting the constant fear and longing for better times.
In the lobby of a Makkah hotel sheltering pilgrims from Gaza, a widow in her 60s quietly wept as she remembered her life left behind. Evacuated for medical reasons the previous year, she has not seen her ten children since. “My heart is always with Gaza. My life, my children, my home—they are there. I long to go back,” she confessed with unmistakable sorrow.
As the rituals of Hajj commence, the prayers of these pilgrims resonate with a deep yearning not only for spiritual solace but also for peace, survival, and the hope of being reunited with their loved ones.
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