The United States Department of State announced on Saturday the suspension of all visitor visas for individuals coming from the Gaza Strip. The suspension will be indefinite, while a thorough review of the visa issuance process is conducted.
In recent hours, it was discovered that for several weeks a small number of temporary humanitarian visas, especially those intended for medical treatment, have been granted to Gazan families through the NGO Heal Palestine.
The issuance of these visas was carried out without the necessary security review required for issuing migration documents of this type for families seeking to emigrate from a war zone largely controlled by a terrorist group such as Hamas.
A national security decision.
This stricter stance toward visa issuance is not new. In June 2025, the Trump administration intensified security checks in the visa process, requiring detailed reviews of every applicant's "online presence."
At that time, the Department of State argued that every visa adjudication process is, essentially, a national security decision. The intention is to prevent the entry of individuals who may pose a risk to American citizens or the country's interests.
