GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip —Three months ago, some 20 young Gazan men went on the umrah pilgrimage (the non-mandatory, lesser pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia and never returned to the Gaza Strip. 

Saudi authorities grant Gazan pilgrims a one-month visa to Saudi Arabia for hajj and umrah through travel agencies in Gaza. Pilgrims ought to leave Saudi territories upon completing their pilgrimage. Their passports remain in the travel agencies' possession and are given back to them upon their return to Gaza.

This, however, did not stop some of the travelers to stay illegally in Saudi Arabia. They obtain a passport replacement from the Palestinian Embassy after declaring they lost the original. They then try to flee to other Gulf countries to find work.

Many young Gazans consider the umrah trip an opportunity to escape the densely populated enclave to travel to countries where they have a chance to find work or study. In fact, the pilgrimage trip is less trouble than going through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip and security checks by the Egyptian police.