RIYADH: The government of Saudi Arabia has halted children to Hajj this year amid the overcrowding of pilgrims to the holy sites, according to media reports.
The decision was taken in February 2025 and is being implemented again this year to stop any kind of mishappenings.
Saudi Arabian authority has stated that the decision was taken in light of the heavy crowd of pilgrims this year, and intense heat is also a major cause for stopping the entry of children to the Hajj 2025.
Earlier, in a major move to curb unauthorized pilgrims during the Hajj season, Saudi authorities began drone surveillance in the holy city of Makkah. The move is aimed at monitoring and preventing the entry of people without official Hajj permits.
According to Saudi state media reports, the drone operation has already led to the daily arrest of hundreds of violators attempting to perform the Hajj illegally. Among those detained were Indonesian nationals suspected of promoting a fake Hajj permit campaign. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of 14 more people at their residences, none of whom had valid Hajj documents.
In a separate development to improve the travel experience for legitimate pilgrims, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has installed 20 electronic gates (e-gates) at Medina’s Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport. These high-tech gates are designed to speed up the immigration process and reduce waiting times for incoming pilgrims.
SDAIA is working with immigration and airport authorities to deploy artificial intelligence solutions that streamline the entry procedure. In addition to the e-gates, more than 30 advanced passport reading devices have been installed to facilitate smooth processing.
