JEDDAH: Photographers capture tens of thousands of images during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, but few are shared widely on social media — and even fewer occupy the coveted spot on the front page of Arab News.
Saudi photographer Saud Almusihij was looking for just such an image on Sunday, as he was keen to enter the Best Hajj Photo competition.
Scanning the throng of pilgrims, he spotted a police officer approaching an elderly man clearly suffering in the heat, with pain in his feet.
“The policeman spoke to the old man, poured water on his head to cool him down, then picked him up and carried him for almost 3 kilometers,” Almusihij told Arab News.
“He had to stop several times to catch his breath, but he kept going until he got the old man to where he wanted to be in Arafat.”
To ensure that his photos were natural and unposed, Almusihij made himself inconspicuous for 30 minutes as he watched the act of charity and kindness unfold. One of his images so perfectly captured the spirit of Hajj that Arab News editors selected it for our front page in Monday’s edition, and other media outlets also published it.
“The huge circulation of the photo has inspired me to work more at Hajj, and hopefully I will be participating in as many Hajj seasons as possible,” Almusihij said.
Meet the Saudi photographer behind Hajj 2019’s most iconic picture
Meet the Saudi photographer behind Hajj 2019’s most iconic picture
Foreign media group slams Israel for refusing to lift Gaza press ban
- Foreign Press Association expresses 'profound disappointment' with Israeli government’s response to a Supreme Court appeal
- Israel has barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory since the war started
JERUSALEM: An international media association on Tuesday criticized the Israeli government for maintaining its ban on unrestricted media access to Gaza, calling the move disappointing.
The government had told the Supreme Court in a submission late Sunday that the ban should remain in place, citing security risks in the Gaza Strip.
The submission was in response to a petition filed by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) — which represents hundreds of journalists in Israel and Palestinian territories — seeking immediate and unrestricted access for foreign journalists to the Gaza Strip.
“The Foreign Press Association expresses its profound disappointment with the Israeli government’s latest response to our appeal for full and free access to the Gaza Strip,” the association said on Tuesday.
“Instead of presenting a plan for allowing journalists into Gaza independently and letting us work alongside our brave Palestinian colleagues, the government has decided once again to lock us out” despite the ceasefire in the territory, it added.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, triggered by an attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the government has barred foreign journalists from independently entering the devastated territory.
Instead, Israel has allowed only a limited number of reporters to enter Gaza on a case-by-case basis, embedded with its military inside the blockaded Palestinian territory.
The FPA filed its petition in 2024, after which the court granted the government several extensions to submit its response.
Last month, however, the court set January 4 as a final deadline for the government to present a plan for allowing media access to Gaza.
In its submission, the government maintained that the ban should remain in place.
“This is for security reasons, based on the position of the defense establishment, which maintains that a security risk associated with such entry still exists,” the government submission said.
The government also said that the search for the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza was ongoing, suggesting that allowing journalists in at this stage could hinder the operation.
The remains of Ran Gvili, whose body was taken to Gaza after he was killed during Hamas’s 2023 attack, have still not been recovered despite the ceasefire.
The FPA said it planned to submit a “robust response” to the court, and expressed hope the “judges will put an end to this charade.”
“The FPA is confident that the court will provide justice in light of the continuous infringement of the fundamental principles of freedom of speech, the public’s right to know and free press,” the association added.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the matter, though it is unclear when a decision will be handed down.
An AFP journalist sits on the board of the FPA.
