RIYADH – Saudi Arabia has announced a significant move to grant a six-month residency to Palestinian pilgrims stranded in the Kingdom due to the ongoing conflict with Israel.
The decision hailed as a humanitarian gesture, comes amidst escalating tensions in the region and provides major relief to the Umrah pilgrims in the kingdom.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the news, expressing gratitude to Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their generosity. The ministry praised Saudi Arabia’s assistance to Gazan pilgrims, highlighting the challenges faced by individuals unable to return home due to the aggressive stance of the Israeli occupation.
The residency initiative aims to provide temporary relief to those affected by the conflict until they can safely return to their homeland. This comes against the backdrop of the severe crisis that has engulfed Gaza since October 7, 2023, when the conflict erupted.
Since then, the situation has escalated, with Israel launching air strikes and a ground offensive against Gaza, resulting in thousands of casualties, predominantly innocent civilians, including children and women. The severity of the crisis has garnered international attention, with Israel facing allegations of “genocide” before the International Court of Justice.
Saudi Arabia’s decision to grant residency to stranded Gazan pilgrims underscores the Kingdom’s commitment to alleviating Palestinian suffering and addressing humanitarian crises in the region.
As far as the death toll is concerned, it has already crossed 29,000 with sadly no end in sight. The global community is calling on Israel to end the killings which have been going on for months now.
Meanwhile, the top food rights expert at the United Nations, Michael Fakhri, has accused Israel of deliberately causing starvation among Palestinians and engaging in genocide.
Fakhri stated to The Guardian that all evidence suggests the intentional deprivation of food in Gaza, which constitutes a violation of international law.
He emphasized that there is no justification for obstructing humanitarian aid or destroying essential resources like fishing vessels, greenhouses, and orchards, except to prevent access to food. Fakhri declared that intentionally withholding food amounts to a clear war crime.
