for the past two decades, Mouin Mushtaha has made the pilgrimage to Mecca during the last 10 days of the Muslim holy month. This year, as Ramadan ticked away, he sat gloomily at the office of his tourism agency here, watching the festivities on television.
For Mr. Mushtaha, it was not just a lost spiritual experience, but a missed business opportunity: the Ramadan pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia is a major annual source of profit. But Gazans were unable to go to Mecca this season because exits through the Rafah crossing to were extremely restricted after an Aug. 5 attack nearby that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers.
“I, my wife and our 500 clients were supposed to be there now,” said Mr. Mushtaha, 64, pointing at the television in the air-conditioned office of his agency, the Mushtaha Company for Tourism and Travel. “My wife bursts into tears when she watches the Kaaba,” he added, referring to the cube-shaped building in Mecca that is among Islam’s most sacred sites.
Egyptian officials closed Rafah completely for a week after the attack, amid concern that the perpetrators, believed to be from the Sinai Desert, had support from in the . Though the crossing was reopened several days before this weekend’s conclusion of Ramadan, exits were limited to those with passports or residences in Arab or European countries, or Gazans with humanitarian needs.
Hamas, the Islamic movement governing Gaza, has denied any involvement of local residents in the fatal attack, and it shut down smuggling tunnels to Egypt in an effort to show cooperation.
Since most residents of the Gaza Strip cannot travel through Israel, these restrictions meant that few were able to make it to Mecca this Ramadan. Muslims are expected at least once in their lifetime to make a major pilgrimage, known as , during the final month of the Islamic lunar calendar. A minor pilgrimage, known as an umrah, can be undertaken at any time of the year. But an umrah during the final 10 days of Ramadan is considered spiritually equivalent to the hajj.
Most Gaza travel agencies primarily handle “religious tourism,” with hajj and umrah trips forming the bulk of their business. Awad Abu Mazkour, who represents the travel companies, said that about 3,000 Palestinians were registered for umrah trips over the past 10 days. He estimated the losses of the tourism companies at $2 million.
Mr. Mushtaha said that his clients had each paid him $1,000 or more, which he had spent weeks ago to book buses, airline tickets and hotel rooms. Now, the would-be pilgrims want their money back, and Mr. Mushtaha said the Hamas government would try to help adjudicate. Portions of ticket fees might be returned, he said, but recouping money from hotels — given their normally strict Ramadan booking policies and the short notice of the cancellation — was less likely.
He said it was the worst crisis facing the company since his father founded it 46 years ago. “There has never been a closure like this during religious occasions,” Mr. Mushtaha said. Suggesting that losses be split between the customers and the companies — or, better yet, covered in part by the Hamas government — he added, “This is a complicated issue that all parties should work to resolve.”
As he spoke, Mr. Mushtaha was interrupted by frequent telephone calls from customers seeking assurances that they might still make their way to Saudi Arabia; he could offer none.
“I spent three years saving money and dreaming of this moment,” said Subhia al-Masri, 46. “Losing the money I paid is nothing compared to losing the opportunity to visit the Kaaba.”
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