By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department on Saturday said it was halting all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza while it conducts “a full and thorough” review.
The department said “a small number” of temporary medical-humanitarian visas had been issued in recent days but did not provide a figure.
The U.S. issued more than 3,800 B1/B2 visitor visas, which permit foreigners to seek medical treatment in the United States, to holders of the Palestinian Authority travel document, according to an analysis of monthly figures provided on the department’s website. That figure includes 640 visas issued in May.
The State Department’s move to stop visitor visas for people from Gaza comes after Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and an ally of President Donald Trump, said on social media on Friday that the Palestinian “refugees” had entered the U.S. this month.
Loomer’s statement sparked outrage among some Republicans, with U.S. Representative Chip Roy, of Texas, saying he would inquire about the matter and Representative Randy Fine, of Florida, describing it as a “national security risk”.
Gaza has been devastated by a war that was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
The U.S. has not indicated that it would accept Palestinians displaced by the war. However, sources told Reuters that South Sudan and Israel are discussing a plan to resettle Palestinians.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward, editing by Donna Bryson, Tomasz Janowski and Alex Richardson)
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