Emotional Hajj journey for former prisoners from Syria and Gaza

Former prisoners from Syria and Palestine have arrived in Mecca to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, with photos and reports capturing what many described as a deeply emotional and once-in-a-lifetime experience.

As of last week, 1.3 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Among them is Ghazi, a Syrian man who shared his story on social media, recounting how he was freed from the notorious Sednaya prison on the day he was scheduled to be executed.

Ghazi said he was arrested in July 2014 after travelling from Lebanon to Damascus to sort out passport paperwork for his daughter. He was detained during a raid on his office and later subjected to torture while witnessing numerous executions.

"When they took us out for execution, we were 54 people. I counted them. They tied 24 of us on the right, 30 on the left, and I was in the middle. Armed men came down, but then suddenly rushed us back upstairs," he wrote on X. He said they later realised this coincided with a rebel offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which forced a change in plans.

Now, Ghazi is one of several former detainees photographed in Mecca wearing the white garments of Ihram worn during the pilgrimage.

In a video call, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa congratulated the pilgrims, saying: "We and our brothers in Saudi Arabia are one people in two countries."

According to Syria’s official news agency SANA, 22,500 Syrian pilgrims had reached Mecca this year. One death was reported before departure.

For many Syrians, the pilgrimage carries particular weight. Over the past decade, opposition groups organised Hajj trips after Saudi Arabia severed ties with Damascus in response to President Bashar al-Assad's violent crackdown on protests. Pilgrims living in regime-controlled areas were forced to seek alternative routes through Jordan, Lebanon, or Turkey.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Islamic Affairs received a group of Palestinian pilgrims on Monday, including former prisoners, their families, and injured civilians. They are participating under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Guests Programme.

The ministry said 500 people from Gaza arrived on Monday, bringing the total number of Palestinian pilgrims this year to 1,000. They landed at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah before being transported to their accommodation in Mecca.

The arrival of Palestinian pilgrims comes as Israel continues its devastating assault on Gaza. Since October 2023, at least 61,700 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces.