More than 1,300 people died on this year’s Hajj pilgrimage – with numerous cases due to heat stress and unauthorized trips accounting for more than four out of five of the fatalities. The Saudi government said that 83% of those who died were unauthorized to perform Hajj and walked long distances under direct sunlight, without adequate shelter or comfort.
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Mississippi state government has declared a state of tornado emergency
At least 26 people have died in Mississippi and Alabama after a tornado tore through the southern US states. Search and rescue efforts are continuing, and the Mississippi state government has declared a state of emergency. In this rural town of only 2,000 people, where one fifth of residents live below the poverty line, dozens of buildings have been flattened by the fury of the tornado. The tornado hit in the middle of the night – people had been sleeping and had not heard the alerts.
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Israel closes Gaza crossing as rockets are fired
Israel has closed the Kerem Shalom crossing with the Gaza Strip after 10 rockets were fired. Israeli media report that at least 10 people were injured in the attack by Hamas. The crossing is one of the few routes to get humanitarian aid into Gaza.
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Death toll rises in Gaza due to Israeli retaliatory attacks
At least 33 Palestinian children were killed in the retaliatory airstrikes launched into Gaza by Israel. According to the United Nations, hundreds of apartments and homes have been destroyed in the Gaza Strip, including refugee camps, leaving more than 123,000 people displaced.
