Umrah pilgrims must book via app, says Saudi govt

News Network
March 22, 2023

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Jeddah, Mar 22: Pilgrims who wish to perform the Muslim Umrah ritual are now required to reserve an appointment via the Nusuk or Tawakkalna apps, the Saudi interior ministry announced on Tuesday.

“The Umrah security plan for (this) year included managing and organizing crowds and traffic, providing humanitarian services, supporting and empowering the entities participating in implementing the plan, and distributing manpower,” said Director of Public Security Lt. Gen. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Bassami.

He said that there were a “sufficient” number of bookings available, and called on pilgrims to adhere to their specific dates, all of which were being organized in coordination with the Ministry of Hajj and the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.

He was speaking to reporters during a press conference for the leaders of the Umrah security forces on the ministry’s plans and preparations for this year’s Umrah season at the 911 Unified Operations Center in Makkah, the state-run SPA news agency reported.

“The expected densities in public transport stations at the entrances to Makkah and the vicinity of the Third Ring Road and next to the Holy Mosque of Makkah were taken into account, and the paths were reorganized to ensure crowd movement safety,” Al-Bassami said.

He stressed the importance of wearing face masks to preserve public health and in compliance with instructions for preventive measures and health regulations.

Al-Bassami said that large crowds would be directed accordingly and beggars who entered these sites would be dealt with firmly and strictly.

Director-General of Civil Defense Maj. Gen. Hammoud bin Suleiman Al-Faraj said: “The General Directorate of Civil Defense has completed its preparations in all sites frequented by pilgrims and visitors to ensure readiness, fire prevention and protection, especially in areas that witness high density.”

He said that the Civil Defense had coordinated with authorities to take legal measures by applying regulations and controlling violations.

Al-Faraj said that the directorate was ready for intensive deployment around the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, and important sites through safety inspectors and support forces.

He praised the fire and rescue services in Makkah, Madinah, the holy site centers, and the deployment of mobile units at specific times.

Al-Faraj also praised the creation of a number of rapid intervention teams, especially in the central area in Makkah, around the Prophet’s Mosque and other vital sites.

Maj. Gen. Saleh bin Saad Al-Murabba, deputy director-general of the General Directorate of Passports, said that his authority had worked on early social and technical preparations and equipment for the Umrah season, developed plans and executive programs, raised media awareness, enhanced communication, and supported and assisted operating agencies for pilgrims.

He said that the directorate had completed its operational preparations by equipping ports with manpower and modern technologies to easily complete the procedures for pilgrims at all international ports, through qualified staff that spoke a number of languages to guide visitors to adhere to Umrah instructions. 

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News Network
July 15,2025

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Israel has waged a systematic "thirst war" in the Gaza Strip, carrying out at least 112 attacks targeting water collection queues that have killed over 700 Palestinians - mostly children - since the war began.

Israeli forces have destroyed 720 wells and blocked fuel needed to run water and sewage infrastructure, the territory's government media office said Monday, resulting in severe water shortages, the collapse of essential services, and the outbreak and spread of disease, especially among children.

On Tuesday morning, Israeli airstrikes targeted multiple locations across the Gaza Strip, including several sites in Gaza City, areas east of Jabalia camp in the northern enclave and other parts of the territory, resulting in several Palestinian casualties and injuries.

The Israeli army issued an urgent evacuation warning to all people living in dozens of Gaza City and Jabalia neighbourhoods.

More than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on 7 October 2023, mostly civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry.

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News Network
July 4,2025

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Gaza, July 4: As the humanitarian crisis deepens in the besieged Gaza Strip, Israeli airstrikes on Friday killed nearly 50 Palestinians—including civilians seeking food at aid distribution centers—according to medical sources.

In one of the most lethal events of the day, 15 individuals lost their lives and 90 others sustained injuries while waiting for humanitarian aid near the al-Tahlia roundabout in eastern Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

Eight Palestinians, including women and children, were killed when Israeli forces targeted a tent housing displaced individuals near Tiba Towers in al-Mawasi, located to the west of Khan Yunis.

The majority of the victims were individuals from the same family whose residence was directly struck near the Tiba Towers, as reported by eyewitnesses. Additionally, several others were injured during the attack.

In a separate nearby attack, three more individuals, among them two children, lost their lives close to the British field hospital.

Airstrikes also targeted two tents on the Khan Yunis beachfront, resulting in the deaths of four civilians, primarily women and children.

The official Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that Israeli artillery targeted tents accommodating displaced civilians in al-Mawasi, Rafah, in southern Gaza, causing further casualties.

In the central region of Gaza, four individuals lost their lives in the al-Bureij refugee camp as a family's residence was struck during a nighttime offensive.

In the meantime, three more people lost their lives in southern Gaza City as a result of a strike on a family residence located in the al-Sabra neighborhood.

Israeli forces also targeted a school that was providing shelter for displaced individuals; though, there were no immediate reports about the number of possible casualties.

Separately, eyewitnesses stated that Israeli forces razed multiple residential buildings in the northern flank of Khan Younis.

The latest attacks come as the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory said on Thursday that Israel is “responsible for one of the cruelest genocides in modern history.”

Francesca Albanese made the remarks at the UN Human Rights Council as he presented her latest report, condemning the Tel Aviv regime over weaponizing Gaza as a testing ground and calling for sweeping international action.

“The situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is apocalyptic,” she said. “In Gaza, Palestinians continue to endure suffering beyond imagination. Israel is responsible for one of the cruelest genocides in modern history.”

Albanese stated that official statistics indicate more than 200,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured; however, prominent health experts believe that “the true toll is far higher.” 

She criticized the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – Israel's newly established aid system in Gaza, which has been linked to hundreds of deaths thus far – labeling it as “a death trap – engineered to kill or force the flight of a starved, bombarded, emaciated population marked for.”

Albanese noted that arms manufacturers have garnered substantial profits by providing Israel with munitions used in the bombardment of Gaza.

“Arms companies have turned near-record profits by equipping Israel with cutting-edge weaponry to unleash 85,000 tons of explosives – six times the power of Hiroshima – to destroy Gaza,” she said.

The senior UN official denounced Israel over using the Gaza war to “test new weapons, customized surveillance, lethal drones, (and) radar systems,” warning that Palestine’s defenselessness had made it “an ideal laboratory for the Israeli military-industrial complex.”

She also called on businesses to act, stressing, “Corporate entities must urgently cease all business activities and terminate relationships directly linked with, contributing to, and causing human rights violations and international crimes against the Palestinian people.”

Albanese said she no longer believed ignorance or ideology were sufficient explanations for global inaction. “In the face of genocide – so visible, so livestreamed – these explanations fall short.”

She concluded with a call for civil society to play its part, saying, “Trade unions, lawyers, civil society groups, and ordinary citizens should encourage such behavioral change from the side of businesses and governments by pressing for boycotts, divestments, sanctions, and accountability. What comes next depends on all of us.”
 

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News Network
July 15,2025

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Damascus, July 15: Israeli warplanes have carried out airstrikes against a number of installations once belonging to the ousted president Bashar al-Assad's army but now used by the forces of the ruling Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) regime in the southwestern province of Suweida.

Local media outlets reported that two aerial raids struck sites near the town of al-Mazraa late on Monday.

Informed sources said sounds of explosions were also heard in the vicinity of Kanaker town.

Material damage was reported, but no information was yet available about possible casualties.

The Israeli military later asserted in a statement that it hit several tanks in the area between al Mazraa and Sami’ as they moved towards Suweida in southern Syria.

It claimed that the strikes were aimed at “preventing their arrival to the area.”

“The Israeli army will not allow the establishment of a military threat in southern Syria and will operate against it,” it said.

Early on Monday, HTS forces initiated an offensive in Suweida following fatal confrontations between Druze and Bedouin factions, resulting in the deaths of dozens of individuals and injuries to hundreds of others.

At least 99 people have been killed and around 200 others wounded over the past two days in the Suweida province, as clashes escalate between local Druze fighters, Bedouin tribes, and HTS forces, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

According to the Britain-based monitoring group, the fatalities include 60 from the Druze community – among them two women and two children – 18 from Bedouin tribes, 14 from HTS fighters, and seven unidentified individuals wearing military uniforms.

Since the collapse of Assad’s government, the Israeli military has been launching airstrikes against military installations, facilities, and arsenals belonging to Syria’s now-defunct army.

Israel has been widely condemned for the termination of the 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria and for exploiting the chaos in the Arab nation in the wake of Assad’s downfall to make a land grab.

The United Nations has condemned ongoing Israeli attacks inside Syrian territory and repeated violations in and around the buffer zone created as part of a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Damascus.

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