14 years on, separated Palestinian siblings reunite at Haj

Latifa left for Egypt from Lebanon and that's when the siblings last saw each other.

Two Palestinian siblings had an emotional reunion after over 14 years of being away from each other. Musa and Latifa were able to unite under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz's program which invites pilgrims from all over the world for pilgrimage at the King's expenses.
Latifa hugged her brother as tears rolled down her eyes and said she had seen her brother only once in 30 years. She told her brother was two years old when their family migrated to Lebanon about 30 years ago. However, Latifa soon left for Egypt from Lebanon and that's when the siblings last saw each other.
Photo: Saudi Gazette
"During all these years I saw him only once which was not enough to quench my yearnto see him," she said.
Musa was invited from Lebanon to perform Haj under the King Salman's program while his sister came down from Egypt, according to Saudi Gazette report.
"When I met him now, his hair has all become grey and he looks aged though he is still not 32 years old," Latifa said.
She further added, "Her own son, Bassam, was a year old when he was separated from his uncle, and is now a young man nearly as tall as him."
About 5,300 pilgrims are performing Haj this year as personal guests of the King. They consist of 1,300 people from 94 countries, 1,000 from the families of the Palestinian martyrs, 1,500 from the families of the Sudanese and the Yemeni National Army, 1,000 from the families of the martyrs of the Egyptian army and police and 500 from Guinea Bissau.
The Ministry of the Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance is supervising the program under which a number of people will also be invited to perform Umrah.

• Saudi Arabia