Muslim pilgrims use umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun as they arrive at the base of Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the annual hajj pilgrimage on June 15, 2024. Friends and family searched for missing hajj pilgrims on June 19 as the death toll at the annual rituals, which were carried out in scorching heat, surged past 900.CAIRO, Egypt —
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had ordered that a "crisis cell" headed by Madbouly follow up on the deaths of Egyptian pilgrims. Even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs spur many to attempt the hajj without a permit, though they risk arrest and deportation if caught. The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam that all Muslims with the means must complete at least once in their lives.