The State Department confirmed on Saturday that all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are on hold while it conducts “a full and thorough” review. Officials said only “a small number” of temporary medical-humanitarian visas had been issued in recent days but declined to give figures.
According to monthly department data, the U.S. issued more than 3,800 B1/B2 visitor visas to holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents so far in 2025, including 640 in May. The documents are provided to residents of the West Bank and Gaza, though the statistics do not separate the territories.
The freeze followed claims by far-right activist Laura Loomer, an ally of President Donald Trump, who said on social media that Palestinian “refugees” had entered the U.S. this month. Her remarks prompted Republican lawmakers, including Representative Chip Roy of Texas and Representative Randy Fine of Florida, to call for inquiries, with Fine labelling the issue a “national security risk.”
Pro-Palestine groups have strongly criticised the suspension. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said it reflected the “intentional cruelty” of the Trump administration. The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund warned that the decision would block access to vital medical treatment for children in Gaza.
“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,” the charity said.
Gaza remains in humanitarian crisis following the conflict that erupted on 7 October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, local health officials report.
The U.S. has not offered to host Palestinians displaced by the fighting, though sources told Reuters that Israel and South Sudan are in discussions on possible resettlement plans.
At least 31 people, including seven children and a pregnant woman, were killed and 13 others injured in artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces...
The State Department confirmed on Saturday that all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are on hold while it conducts “a full and thorough” re...
One person has been killed and several others injured after a train collided with a vehicle and derailed in southern Denmark on Friday, police said....
Spain is battling some of the largest wildfires in its history, with uncontrolled blazes raging in more than 50 locations from the north to the south ...
The United States has deployed more than 4,000 Marines and sailors to waters near Latin America and the Caribbean in a major move against drug cartels, CNN reported on Friday, citing defence officials.
Iran says it is willing to accept limits on its nuclear programme but will not halt uranium enrichment, as tensions over renewed talks with the U.S. persist.
Multiple explosions at the Clairton Coke Works near Pittsburgh have killed at least one person and injured 10 others, with one employee still missing, authorities said Monday.
President Donald Trump announced the deployment of 800 National Guard troops to Washington and placed the city’s police under federal control, citing what he called a surge in violent crime despite official data showing a sharp decline.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
A deadly heatwave has claimed 1,180 lives in Spain since May, with elderly people most at risk, prompting calls for urgent social support.
US President Donald Trump is pushing for a trilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as early as 22 August, according to Axios.
Air Canada announced Saturday that it has suspended all flights after 10,000 flight attendants launched a strike, forcing Canada’s largest airline to halt operations of both Air Canada and its low-cost subsidiary, Air Canada Rouge.
At least 31 people, including seven children and a pregnant woman, were killed and 13 others injured in artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El Fasher’s Abu Shouk displacement camp in North Darfur on Saturday, volunteer groups said.
One person has been killed and several others injured after a train collided with a vehicle and derailed in southern Denmark on Friday, police said.
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