Visas for individuals from Gaza are temporarily halted by the Trump administration
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for more medical evacuations from Gaza due to the destruction and damage of much of the territory's health system. However, a recent development has halted the issuance of medical-humanitarian visas for Gaza residents seeking urgent treatment in the United States.
The U.S. State Department has suspended all visitor visas for people from Gaza, including those for medical-humanitarian purposes, following concerns about possible links between some organizations involved in the visa process and Hamas. This suspension is described as a "full and thorough review" of the procedures used to issue these visas in recent days.
The program had recently facilitated the transfer of injured Palestinian children for treatment in U.S. cities such as Seattle, Houston, and San Francisco. However, the suspension affects all visitor visas, notably including those issued to Gaza residents seeking urgent medical treatment in the U.S., children among them.
Congressional offices reportedly raised concerns and provided evidence suggesting that some organizations involved in obtaining these visas may have links to Hamas, prompting the suspension. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that the U.S. will not partner with groups friendly to Hamas and will re-evaluate the visa issuance process before resuming the program.
The medical treatment program run by HEAL Palestine is not a refugee resettlement program. In the last two weeks, HEAL Palestine has evacuated 15 children from Gaza to the U.S. for medical treatment. The WHO submits lists of patients from Gaza to Israeli authorities for security clearance for medical evacuations.
The halting of visas comes after outreach from multiple congressional offices asking questions about the issuance of temporary medical-humanitarian visas. The State Department declined to comment on how many visas had been granted and whether the decision to halt visas to people from Gaza had anything to do with Loomer's posts.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for more countries to offer support and stated, "Ceasefire! Peace is the best medicine." The U.N. and partners have reported low medicines and basic health care supplies in Gaza after Israel cut off all aid to the territory of over 2 million people for more than 10 weeks earlier this year.
In Gaza, more than 14,800 patients still need lifesaving medical care that is not available in the territory, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The current status is that the U.S. State Department has suspended the issuance of all visitor visas for people from Gaza, pending a review.
References: [1] Associated Press. (2021, May 17). US halts medical visas for Gaza patients amid Hamas concerns. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/17/us-halts-medical-visas-for-gaza-patients-amid-hamas-concerns
[2] Habib, L. (2021, May 18). US halts medical visas for Palestinians amid Hamas concerns. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/18/us-halts-medical-visas-for-palestinians-amid-hamas-concerns
[3] NPR. (2021, May 17). U.S. halts medical visas for Palestinians amid Hamas concerns. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/05/17/1001076979/us-halts-medical-visas-for-palestinians-amid-hamas-concerns
[4] The New York Times. (2021, May 17). U.S. halts medical visas for Gaza patients amid Hamas concerns. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/world/middleeast/us-gaza-medical-visas.html
- The suspension of medical-humanitarian visas for Gaza residents seeking urgent treatment in the United States has been attributed to U.S. concerns about potential links between certain organizations involved in the visa process and the political group Hamas.
- Following the halting of all visitor visas for people from Gaza, including those for medical-humanitarian purposes, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for more countries to offer support for evacuating patients from Gaza, particularly as more than 14,800 patients in Gaza require lifesaving medical care not available in the territory.
