State Department halts Gaza visitor visas
The State Department on Saturday said it would halt Gaza visitor visas to the U.S.
“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 wrote in a Saturday statement on the social media platform X.
The Hill has reached out to the State Department for additional comment.
The move comes a week after President Trump refrained from criticizing Israeli leaders’ efforts to ramp up strikes and increase control in Gaza.
“I know that we are there now trying to get people fed. … As far as the rest of it, I really can’t say. That’s going to be pretty much up to Israel,” Trump told reporters in early August, committing to leading humanitarian aid efforts in the war-torn region.
Several nations and human rights groups have said starvation is persistent among Gazans, urging countries and organizations to aid in food and resource distribution.
In response to on the ground reports, Germany halted military exports to Israel, seeking to dismantle prior support for the use of force in the Gaza Strip.
France, Canada and the United Kingdom also expressed concerns with Israeli operations and announced their intent to recognize Palestinian as an independent sovereign state.
Seventy to 75 percent of Gaza is under Israeli control, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has denied reports about starvation.
Netanyahu said the government’s plans are to overtake parts of the Gaza Strip, which he said are under the control of Hamas.
“Israel’s Cabinet, Israel’s security Cabinet, instructed the IDF to dismantle the two remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the Central Camps,” he added, referring to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). “Contrary to false claims, this is the best way to end the war, and the best way to end it speedily.”
In Washington, leaders across the aisle have become increasingly critical of Israel and the situation in Gaza.
“We each have to continue to have an open heart about how we do this, how we do it effectively, and how we take action in time to make a difference, whether that is stopping the starvation and genocide and destruction of Gaza, or whether that means we are working together to stop the redistricting that is going on, taking away the vote from people in order to retain power,” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said during a Thursday event, referencing redistricting efforts across the country.
Clark is the highest-ranking House Democrat to use the term “genocide” to describe the crisis in Gaza.