State Department Suspends All Tourist Visas From Gaza

The U.S. State Department on Saturday announced that it will be suspending all visitor visas from the Gaza Strip while it conducts “a full and thorough” review.

“All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days,” the department posted on X.  A “small number” of temporary medical-humanitarian visas had been issued in recent days, the department added, though an exact figure was not provided.

The U.S. had issued more than 3,800 B1/B2 visitor visas, which allow foreigners to seek medical treatment in the United States, to holders of the Palestinian Authority travel document, according to figures provided on the department’s website. That figure includes 640 visas issued in May.

The State Department’s move to halt all existing visas from Gaza comes after investigative reporter Laura Loomer generated headlines by announcing that a stream of “Palestinian refugees” had arrived in the U.S. In an X post, Loomer shared a video of a group of Palestinians exiting a plane and immediately meeting up with loved ones at an unidentified airport.

Loomer’s post sparked outrage among a number of elected Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who said he would be launching a formal inquiry about the matter. Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) concurred, calling the matter a “national security risk.”

Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza, which was launched following the October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 people and saw dozens of additional hostages abducted into Gaza, has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

The U.S. has stated that there are no plans to admit Palestinians displaced by the conflict. Reuters recently reported that South Sudan and Israel are discussing a plan to resettle Palestinian refugees, however.