Latest updates from top global and Saudi news sources
Last updated: 13 May 2026, 5:08 PM (Saudi time)
33 stranded Bangladeshi Umrah pilgrims returned home after ministerial intervention, highlighting the importance of choosing licensed travel operators and maintaining proper documentation.
Amal by Malaysia Airlines launches 110-flight Hajj 2026 operation with A330-300 aircraft, transporting 15,620 pilgrims via 67 domestic feeder flights and offering a new courier service for returning pilgrims.
Hajj 2026 Day of Arafah is expected on May 26, with Eid Al Adha on May 27, based on astronomical calculations. Final dates depend on official Saudi moon sighting around May 17.
Saudi Arabia enforces fines up to SAR 100,000 for Hajj facilitators and SAR 20,000 for unauthorised pilgrims, plus deportation and 10-year entry bans, targeting informal networks enabling illegal participation.
Hajj 2026 proceeds as scheduled despite the expiry of the US-Iran ceasefire. Saudi Arabia confirms advanced security with 1.8 million pilgrims expected. Trump indicates truce extension but no formal deal confirmed.
First Hajj 2026 pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia on April 18 from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Turkey, and Malaysia, with 3.1 million seats allocated across 12,000+ flights.
Today’s Hajj pilgrimage is limited to Mecca and Medina. It used to include Palestine, too. Mondoweiss
Hajj Begins With Sweeping New Changes Time Magazine
What is Hajj and why is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca important to Muslims? NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Saudi Arabia seeks to prevent heat deaths as Hajj pilgrimage begins BBC
Hajj by horseback: Modern-day caravan makes seven-month pilgrimage from Andalusia to Makkah The National
Hajj explained: A journey through the key rites of the Muslim pilgrimage Al Jazeera