Rights groups protest the US’s decision to stop granting visitor visas to Gazans
Palestinian rights organizations have condemned the United States’ decision to restrict visiting visas for Gazans, citing a review of previous humanitarian clearances.
Citing the need for a “full and thorough review” of recent approvals for humanitarian situations, the State Department said on Saturday that the United States has paused issuing guest visas to individuals from Gaza.
Palestinian rights activists have been increasingly critical of the halt, claiming that it will worsen the situation of civilians caught in Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis.
The State Department stated in a post on X that “a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas issued in recent days” were the focus of the assessment. The duration of the ban was not specified by officials.
One of the top organizations that arranges for treatment abroad for Gaza’s most vulnerable, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), denounced the decision. In a statement, the group stated, “This will have a devastating and irreversible impact on our ability to bring critically ill and injured children from Gaza to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment.”
In 2024 alone, PCRF reportedly evacuated 169 children from Gaza, sending them to the US, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East for specialized medical care. Such evacuations have become a lifeline for youngsters in need of immediate medical attention, as Gaza’s hospitals have been severely damaged by the conflict for the past two and a half years.
The change in policy came after far-right activist Laura Loomer launched a social media campaign in which she urged the Trump administration to halt the humanitarian visa program and posted a number of tweets on X criticizing it. Loomer hailed Secretary of State Marco Rubio for “temporarily halting the visas” and took credit for the suspension on Saturday.
The decision was made against the backdrop of Gaza’s deteriorating humanitarian situation. Much of Gaza’s medical infrastructure has been damaged since the horrific war that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel.
Food deliveries have been severely limited by an Israeli embargo that was implemented in March 2025. Israel maintains that the sanctions are intended to keep supplies from being confiscated by Hamas.
However, the embargo has forced Gaza into starvation conditions, according to humanitarian organizations and UN-backed food security organizations. Major media agencies including the BBC, AFP, AP, and Reuters warned last month that reporters themselves were in danger of malnutrition, despite independent journalists reporting on the rampant hunger in the region.
These independent journalists have been the world’s eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza for several months. The outlets released a unified statement saying, “They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering.”
Despite acknowledging that there is “real starvation” in Gaza, US President Donald Trump’s administration has steadfastly supported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The ban of US visas adds even more hopelessness to families in Gaza who are fleeing to other countries for safety or medical care. The decision runs the risk of “closing one of the last doors of hope” for Gaza’s most vulnerable, according to one rights group.
