State Department halts Gaza visitor visas
'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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
John Swinney backs Palestinian woman in Gaza pleading for spot at Edinburgh University
A Palestinian woman who fears for her life in Gaza has appealed to Keir Starmer to help her take up a place at Edinburgh University. First Minister John Swinney has backed the 32-year-old's calls for the Prime Minister to open an emergency visa route and said he is 'appalled' students are being prevented from reaching safety in Scotland. Shaymaa, who is using only her first name due to safety concerns, is one of 10 Palestinians who have fully-funded courses in Scotland, out of 78 in total across the UK. READ MORE: Edinburgh gang leader warns Dubai-based kingpin 'we'll take you out in the desert' READ MORE: Second Midlothian girl targeted in 'attempted strangling' at same school However, they're stranded in Gaza and unable to leave due to visa processing problems, fearing for their lives every day and struggling to find basic shelter and food, reports the Sunday Mail. Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine and Edinburgh university have been lobbying the UK Government for months over the issue but fear time is running out as courses are due to start in a fortnight. Shaymaa is still hoping to begin her English Literature PhD at Edinburgh University on September 1. Speaking to the Sunday Mail from Gaza, the student and former lecturer issued a direct appeal to Starmer and said: 'Education is the path to the future. It is one of the few remaining pathways to survival and dignity for Palestinians right now. 'The UK has an opportunity to offer practical, life-saving solutions to students like me. 'I urge him to implement an emergency route for students and researchers from Gaza, including biometric deferral and safe passage, so we are not excluded from opportunities we have rightfully earned.' The UK government said students have to go through biometric processing – where their fingerprints and photos are recorded – to be considered for a visa. Normally, they would select their nearest processing centre but the facility in Gaza is closed and all routes out of the region are blocked due to the Israeli bombardment, leaving them with no way to complete the checks. Swinney said: 'I am appalled at the situation Shaymaa and other students from Gaza are facing. We must see urgent action from the UK Gov-ernment to support them in taking up their university places in Scotland. 'The people of Gaza are already suffering unimaginably at the hands of the Israeli government – the idea that these students could also be denied the chance to take up the university places in Scotland they have worked so hard to attain is not acceptable to me.' The First Minister said education secretary Jenny Gilruth has contacted the UK Government calling for urgency over the issue, adding: 'I am aware other countries including France, Ireland and Italy have managed to successfully evacuate students, so the UK Government cannot simply duck its responsibilities here. Where there is a political will, a resolution can be found – and failure to act is literally putting these people's lives at risk. 'I am clear that the international community must put a stop to Israel's killing in Gaza and that we must see the immediate recognition of a sovereign, independent Palestine. But until that point, the UK Government must do everything it can to ensure ordinary Gazans are not punished further. 'Scotland looks forward to welcoming Shaymaa and the other students from Gaza seeking to take their places at our universities – the UK Government must do the right thing and do everything in its power to allow them to get here.' Earlier this month, around 80 MPs signed an open letter to Starmer urging him to take action to help the 78 students, including Shaymaa, get to the UK for their studies. A number of Scottish MPs joined the calls including Brian Leishman, Pete Wishart and Wendy Chamberlain. Shaymaa said the chance to study in Edinburgh wouldn't just further her education but would save her life. She said: 'Coming to Scotland wouldn't just allow me to continue my academic journey– which has been severely disrupted – but would also give me the chance to live and study in physical safety. "It's not just about personal safety either. It would be a chance to reclaim a sense of direction, to write and think and teach without fearing for my life every second. It would allow me to begin healing and to carry the stories of Gaza into spaces where they urgently need to be heard.' Shaymaa was offered a fully-funded PhD at Edinburgh University in English Literature and said the opportunity would help 'build stronger academic bridges between Scotland, the UK, and Palestine' as well as advance her own education. She said: 'Studying in Scotland would give me the space, tools, and mentorship to develop that work further and to contribute meaningfully to the field of literature and build a lasting academic career. 'This isn't just a degree to me. It's a way to keep going, to hold on to my intellectual life and to honour everything that has been taken from us.' Originally from Abasan al-Kabira, east of the city of Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, Shaymaa and her family were forced to flee when the bombings started and have been displaced multiple times in the last 18 months. Shaymaa is now living in a tent on a beach in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, with 11 others including her two sisters and their children. She said: 'The last we heard our house was severely damaged but we haven't been back. 'Now my face and hands are sunburnt and sweaty all the time. Daily life in Gaza is almost impossible to describe. There's little access to basic resources like clean water and food. 'Most days are spent trying to secure food, charge devices at solar points when possible, and stay safe amid ongoing bombings.' Edinburgh West MP Jardine said: 'When I was contacted by the University, I wrote to the Foreign Office to ask what they are doing to help students who have been offered places but, because they live in Gaza, are finding it impossible to complete the required UK immigration process to come here. 'Due process needs to happen but we should be doing everything in our power to make sure it's possible to get people out of a warzone.' A UK Government spokeswoman said: 'We are aware of these students and are actively considering how we can best support.' Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Protests held across Israel calling for end to Gaza war, hostage deal
Demonstrators took to the streets across Israel Sunday calling for an end to the war in Gaza and a deal to release hostages still held by militants, as the military prepares a new offensive. The protests come more than a week after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to capture Gaza City, following 22 months of war that have created dire humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territory. The war was triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, during which 251 were taken hostage. Forty-nine captives remain in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. A huge Israeli flag covered with portraits of the remaining captives was unfurled in Tel Aviv's so-called Hostage Square -- which has long been a focal point for protests throughout the war. Demonstrators also blocked several roads in the city, including the highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where demonstrators set tires on fire and caused traffic jams, according to local media footage. Protest organisers and the main campaign group representing the families of hostages also called for a general strike on Sunday. "I think it's time to end the war. It's time to release all of the hostages. And it's time to help Israel recover and move towards a more stable Middle East," said Doron Wilfand, a 54-year-old tour guide, at a rally in Jerusalem. However, some government members who oppose any deal with Hamas slammed the demonstrations. Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich decried "a perverse and harmful campaign that plays into the hands of Hamas". He argued that public pressure to secure a deal effectively "buries the hostages in tunnels and seeks to push the State of Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardise its security and future". APTFV footage showed protesters at a rally in Beeri, a kibbutz near the Gaza border that was one of the hardest-hit communities in the Hamas attack, and Israeli media reported protests in numerous locations across the country. Israeli plans to expand the war into Gaza City and nearby refugee camps have sparked an international outcry as well as domestic opposition. UN-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in the territory, where Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of humanitarian aid it allows in. According to Gaza's civil defence agency, Israeli troops shot dead at least 13 Palestinians on Saturday as they were waiting to collect food aid near distribution sites. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed more than 61,897 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza which the United Nations considers reliable. bur-ds/ami
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Palestinians flee IDF attacks on Gaza City as Israelis protest occupation plan
Thousands of residents have fled Gaza City's southern Zeitoun neighbourhood, where days of continuous Israeli bombardment have created a "catastrophic" situation, the city's Hamas-run municipality has told the BBC. At least 40 people were killed by Israeli attacks across the territory on Saturday, Gaza's civil defence agency said. The Israeli military said it would begin allowing tents to be brought into Gaza by aid agencies again. Israel plans to forcibly displace a million people from Gaza City to camps in the south. In Israel, a one-day general strike is due to be held in Sunday in protest of the government's plan to seize Gaza City. The stoppage was demanded by the families of hostages and others who say the expansion of the war puts the lives of Israelis being held by Hamas at greater risk. It comes a week after Israel's war cabinet voted to occupy Gaza City, the territory's largest city, and displace its population, in a move condemned by the UN Security Council. "As part of the preparations to move the population from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their protection, the supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza will resume," the Israeli military body Cogat said. A spokesperson for the Gaza City municipality said mass displacement was already taking place in Zeitoun after six days of relentless Israeli air strikes, shelling and demolition operations. The Zeitoun neighbourhood is home to about 50,000 people, most of whom have little to no access to food and water, according to the civil defence agency. Ghassan Kashko, 40, who is sheltering with his family at a school building in the neighbourhood, told news agency AFP that air strikes and tank shelling were causing "explosions... that don't stop". "We don't know the taste of sleep," he said. Hamas said in a statement that Israeli forces had been carrying out a "sustained offensive in the eastern and southern neighbourhoods of Gaza City, particularly in Zeitoun". The Israeli government has not provided an exact timetable of when its forces would enter Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reported to want the entire city under Israeli occupation from 7 October. The municipality spokesperson said that 80% of Gaza City's infrastructure had been damaged over nearly two years of Israeli attacks, while the four remaining hospitals there were operating at less than 20% of their capacity due to severe shortages of medicines and supplies. At least 1.9 million people in Gaza – or about 90 per cent of the population – have been displaced, according to the UN. The international body has indicated there is widespread malnutrition in Gaza, with experts backed by the organisation warning last month in a report that the "worst-case scenario" of famine is playing out in Gaza. On Saturday, Gaza's hospitals reported 11 more deaths from malnutrition, including a child, bringing the total number of deaths from malnutrition to 251, including 108 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Meanwhile, a Gazan woman who was evacuated to Italy for treatment while severely emaciated has died in hospital. The 20-year-old, who was identified as Marah Abu Zuhri, flew to Pisa with her mother on an overnight flight on Wednesday under a scheme established by the Italian government. The University Hospital of Pisa said that she suffered a cardiac arrest and died on Friday, less than 48 hours after arriving. The hospital said she had suffered severe loss of weight and muscle, while Italian news agencies reported she was suffering from severe malnutrition. Earlier this week, the UK, EU, Australia, Canada and Japan issued a statement saying "famine is unfolding in front of our eyes" and urged action to "reverse starvation". Last week, more than 100 organisations signed a letter that said they had been unable to to deliver a single truck of humanitarian supplies to Gaza since 2 March. Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of aid it allows into Gaza and continues to insist there is no starvation there. It accuses UN agencies of not picking up aid at the borders and delivering it. The civil defence agency said at least 13 of the Palestinians killed on Saturday were shot by Israeli troops as they waited for food near distribution sites in the territory. The latest figures from the UN, released on Friday, indicate that at least 1,760 Palestinians have been killed seeking food since late May, mostly by Israeli forces. The war was triggered by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage. Israel's offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to figures from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which the UN considers reliable. What we know about Israel's plan to take over Gaza City
