Syrian needy dies and 18 others are transferred to Saudi hospitals
The General Authority for Statistics in Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that the total number of pilgrims for the Hajj season of 1447 AH reached about 1.7 million pilgrims, according to official statistics issued by Makkah.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the authority said that "the total number of pilgrims for this year 1447 AH corresponding to 2026 AD reached 17.7301 pilgrims and needs."
According to the authority's data, the number of pilgrims coming from outside the Kingdom reached 1,546,655 pilgrims, while the number of domestic pilgrims, both citizens and residents, reached 160,646 pilgrims.
In terms of the means of arrival of pilgrims from outside Saudi Arabia, air ports accounted for the largest percentage, with 1,485,729 pilgrims entering through them, while 54,429 pilgrims arrived through land ports, while sea ports received 6,497 pilgrims during the current season.
With the sunset of Tuesday, the masses of pilgrims began to head from the Arafat Mosque to the Muzdalifah Mosque, where they performed the Maghrib and Isha prayers in a short and short manner, and then spent their night in an atmosphere of faith full of remembrance and thanks to God for the blessings He has bestowed upon them in performing the great pillar of the Hajj.
At dawn on Tuesday, the ninth of Dhu al-Hijjah, the pilgrims of the Holy House of God began heading to Upper Arafat to perform the greatest pillar of the Hajj rituals, after spending the day of Tarwiyah in Mina, in a scene of faith that embodies the unity of Muslims and their influx from all over the world.
The Hajj rituals began on Monday, the eighth of Dhu al-Hijjah, with the completion of the day of Tarwiyah in Mash'ar Mina, and the delegation of pilgrims to Arafat was completed on Tuesday.
According to data from the last Hajj season, the total number of pilgrims reached 1,673,320, including 1,506,576 pilgrims from outside Saudi Arabia, which means that the number of international pilgrims this year recorded an increase compared to 2025, despite the current regional conditions and challenges.
Syrian needy dies and 18 others are transferred to Saudi hospitals
The medical mission of the Hajj and Umrah Department referred 18 Syrian pilgrims from Upper Arafat to Saudi hospitals, as a result of exposure to heat stroke and other health conditions.
The head of the mission explained that 45 doctors were distributed to 6 clinics in Arafat, where they provided medical services and health consultations to about 700 Syrian pilgrims, as part of a comprehensive field plan aimed at following up on the conditions of pilgrims and dealing quickly with emergency cases.
Al-Dabal pointed out that the majority of the cases transferred to hospitals were caused by exposure to heatstroke as a result of the significant rise in temperatures, pointing out that the mission followed up the cases directly in cooperation with the Saudi health authorities.
He pointed out that the seven cases that were receiving treatment in Saudi hospitals, six of them were discharged to enable their owners to perform the Arafa ritual and complete the Hajj rituals, as part of the continuous medical and organizational follow-up by the Syrian medical mission.
He added that only one case is still receiving treatment at King Faisal Hospital, for a man suffering from a brain hemorrhage, whose condition is critical, and he is receiving the necessary care in the intensive care unit, stressing that his health condition will continue to be monitored.
Al-Dabal revealed that the mission recorded a case of death of a Syrian needy after a sudden cardiac arrest during the night of Arafa, where she was taken to King Fahd Hospital, but she died despite the attempts of medical staff to save her.
Travel Warnings
During the current Hajj season, forthe first time, the U.S. government urged its citizens to reconsider participating in the Hajj, noting that "non-essential U.S. government employees were ordered in early March to leave Saudi Arabia."
Germany, the United Kingdom and other European countries have issued warnings against travel to Saudi Arabia, strongly advising their citizens not to travel there during the current conflict, or to monitor the situation closely if they decide to travel.
Indonesia, which usually sends the largest numbers of pilgrims this year, has advised its citizens to postpone their travel dates until more information is available on future developments in the war.
But Indonesia and other Muslim-majority countries have given the green light for pilgrims to move forward, providing them with travel procedures and other services as usual.
The Indonesian government says it has emergency evacuation plans in place that can be activated when necessary, but government officials announced this week that they had arrived in Saudi Arabia themselves to help facilitate services for pilgrims there.
Economic repercussions on pilgrims
The U.S.-Israel war has also had other repercussions on this year's Hajj season, as the costs of performing the Hajj rituals have become higher after the rise in the price of jet fuel, and although the governments of countries such as India, Indonesia, and Malaysia usually negotiate the prices of air tickets for the Hajj, the New York Times recently reported that not all of these governments have covered the increases in costs demanded by airlines.
While the Indonesian government agreed to absorb the additional costs, the Indian government's Hajj Organizing Committee charged pilgrims with a price increase of about $100 per pilgrim.
Countries that receive large numbers of pilgrims often organize direct flights to Saudi Arabia, while pilgrims from other countries face the problem of many airlines canceling their flights to the Middle East, as well as the need to avoid certain atmospheres, and currency fluctuations and inflation have caused general financial problems for pilgrims with limited budgets.