The press conference for the 2023-1444 Hajj season was held on Monday in Mecca, attended by the security spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, Colonel Talal Al-Shalhoub, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Dr. Mohammed Al-Abdali, and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Hajj for Hajj Affairs, Dr. Iyad Al-Ghunaim.

The security spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior confirmed that violators of the Hajj visa were arrested and deported to their countries, with a financial penalty of 50,000 riyals and a six-month prison sentence.

Regarding the health condition, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health confirmed that 6132 beds were allocated in various hospitals, including 220 beds designated for heat exhaustion, noting that the average temperature during the days of Hajj is 42 degrees Celsius in the shade. He emphasized the importance of sun protection, which represents the main health obstacle this year.

As for the Haram expansion projects, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Hajj for Hajj Affairs stated that the expansion of the Noble Haram is still ongoing and is part of the Vision 2030 program.

This conference comes a day before the most important ritual of Hajj, which is the standing at Arafat, where a gathering of over two million people, according to preliminary figures, will take place, making it the largest human gathering in the history of Hajj.