Gazans resume umrah pilgrimage after years of Egyptian ban
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GAZA CITY-- Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip resumed a minor pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, known as the "umrah," on Sunday after nearly five years of an Egyptian ban.
The first convoy of 800 Palestinians passed into Egypt through Gaza's Rafah crossing. Airplanes will carry the Palestinians from the Egyptian capital to Mecca, Islam's holiest city.
"It's an incredible feeling, thank God for that. We have waited for this moment since 2014," said Fathia Abu Eita, a passenger on the Cairo-bound bus.
Egypt halted the umrah program for Gazans in 2015 over instability in the northern Sinai that borders the Palestinian enclave, but still allowed transit for the main hajj pilgrimage.
