King Salman ordered on Sunday the hosting for Hajj of 1,000 family members of Palestinians killed or wounded in the fighting currently raging in Gaza, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The directive comes after a similar order issued in May, also for 1,000 family members of Palestinian victims of Israel’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which brings the total number hosted from Palestine for this year’s Hajj to 2,000.
The gesture is part of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Guests Program for Hajj and Umrah, which is supervised by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance.
Since its inception 26 years ago, more than 60,000 pilgrims have been hosted under the program.