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DW
13 hours ago
- Politics
- DW
US suspends medical visas for Gazans after far-right posts – DW – 08/17/2025
The US says it is halting medical-humanitarian visas for people from Gaza after a far-right figure claimed they were a threat to the country. The move will prevent wounded Palestinians coming to the US for treatment. The US government said on Saturday it was halting all visitor visas for people from from Gaza 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 State Department, headed by Marco Rubio, wrote on X. The move comes after far-right influencer Laura Loomer posted claims on social media that some Palestinians issued with medical-humanitarian visas to the US were "pro-HAMAS ... affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and funded by Qatar," without providing evidence. Her posts were written after the US-based charity HEAL Palestine last week said it had brought 11 critically wounded Gazan children, together with their caregivers and siblings, to the US for medical treatment. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Loomer holds no official position but has shown a significant power to influence the Trump administration and the Republican party, among other things bringing about the sacking of several senior US security officials after claiming they were disloyal to the president. She is known for spreading far-right conspiracy theories, such as claiming that the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US were an inside job and that the Parkland high school shooting and the Santa Fe High School shooting were staged. "Truly unacceptable," Loomer wrote of the issued visas in one X post. "Someone needs to be fired at @StateDept when @marcorubio figures out who approved the visas." "Qatar transported these GAZANS into the US via @qatarairways," she said, adding that Qatar was "literally flooding our country with jihadis." She also shared videos of badly wounded Palestinian children arriving in the US this month with their families, claiming that they were uttering "jihadi chants," whereas they seemed rather to be shouting out with joy that they had arrived safely. Several of the posts targeted HEAL Palestine, which said it had carried out "the largest single medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza to the US" with its transport. Republican Congressman Randy Fine praised Loomer after the visa change was announced. "Massive credit needs to be given to @LauraLoomer for uncovering this and making me and other officials aware. Well done, Laura," Fine wrote on X. However, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, another US-based charity, called on the Trump administration to "reverse this dangerous and inhumane decision." "This policy will have a devastating and irreversible impact on our ability to bring injured and critically ill children from Gaza to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment — a mission that has defined our work for more than 30 years," it said in a statement. "Medical evacuations are a lifeline for the children of Gaza who would otherwise face unimaginable suffering or death due to the collapse of medical infrastructure in Gaza," it said. The Council on American-Islamic Relations also condemned the move to suspend visas, calling it another sign of the "intentional cruelty" of the Trump administration. Gaza's medical infrastructure has been devastated amid the Israeli offensive triggered by a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken. According to Gaza health officials, more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive.
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First Post
a day ago
- Health
- First Post
US suspends visas for Gazans after far-right influencer posts over medical evacuations
The US has suspended visitor visas for people from Gaza following criticism from far-right influencer Laura Loomer over the admission of wounded Palestinians for medical treatment. Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters The United States government announced on Saturday that it is suspending visitor visas for people from Gaza, after a far-right influencer with close ties to President Donald Trump criticised the admission of wounded Palestinians for medical treatment. The move followed a series of angry social media posts by Laura Loomer, who has previously promoted racist conspiracy theories and falsely claimed the 9/11 attacks were an inside job. '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 State Department, led by Marco Rubio, posted on X. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On Friday, Loomer had urged the department to halt visas for Palestinians from Gaza, alleging they were 'pro-HAMAS… affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and funded by Qatar,' though she offered no evidence. Her criticism was directed at the US-based charity HEAL Palestine, which last week said it had facilitated the arrival of 11 severely injured children from Gaza, along with their caregivers and siblings, for treatment in American hospitals. The charity described it as 'the largest single medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza to the US.'
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
US Suspends Visas For Gazans After Far-right Influencer Posts
The US government said Saturday it is suspending visitor visas for Gazans after a far-right influencer with the ear of President Donald Trump complained that wounded Palestinians had been allowed to seek medical treatment in the United States. The announcement came one day after a series of furious social media posts by Laura Loomer, who is known for promoting racist conspiracy theories and claiming that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were an inside job. "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 State Department, which is led by Marco Rubio, wrote on X. In a series of posts on X Friday, Loomer called on the State Department to stop giving visas to Palestinians from Gaza who she said were "pro-HAMAS" and "affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and funded by Qatar," without providing evidence. Loomer's target was the US-based charity HEAL Palestine, which said last week it had helped 11 critically wounded Gazan children -- as well as their caregivers and siblings -- arrive safely in the US for medical treatment. It was "the largest single medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza to the US," the charity said on its website. "Truly unacceptable," Loomer wrote in another X post. "Someone needs to be fired at @StateDept when @marcorubio figures out who approved the visas." Loomer said she had spoken to the staff of Republican Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, adding that they were "also looking into how these GAZANS got visas to come into the US." Republican Congressman Randy Fine explicitly commended Loomer after the visa change was announced, in a sign of her sway over some US policy. "Massive credit needs to be given to @LauraLoomer for uncovering this and making me and other officials aware. Well done, Laura," he wrote on X. In July, Loomer took aim at a job offer made to a highly qualified Biden-era official for a prestigious position at the West Point military academy. The Pentagon rescinded the offer one day later. Trump also fired the head of the highly sensitive National Security Agency, Timothy Haugh, and his deputy Wendy Noble in April at the apparent urging of Loomer, after she met with the president at the White House.
