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Right-wing activist Laura Loomer claimed on X that the pause was in response to her report that “unvetted Palestinians” were arriving in the United States. However, the State Department did not specify the reason for its decision to conduct the review.
Following Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s military response, Gaza has faced a humanitarian crisis with a famine and shifting public opinion. At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his intention to occupy Gaza City, contradicting earlier statements that Israel would not occupy the territory.
Loomer rose to prominence following President Donald Trump’s victory in last year’s election and subsequent return to office. She has served as one of the loudest pro-Trump supporters and is seen as an influential figure in right-wing circles.
The State Department wrote on X: “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.”
Pauses on visa issuance can delay urgent medical travel and complicate humanitarian coordination. The announcement did not specify how many visas were affected, how long the review would last, whether pending appointments or already-issued visas would be canceled or resumed, or how the State Department would handle urgent medical travel during the review.
Loomer took credit for prompting the review on X: “This is fantastic news. Thank you @SecRubio for your prompt response to this invasion of our country by NGOs that have been accused of being pro-HAMAS.”
Representative Randy Fine, a Florida Republican, credited Loomer as the reason for the State Department’s decision and wrote: “Massive credit needs to be given to [Laura Loomer] for uncovering this and making me and other officials aware. Well done, Laura.”
Meanwhile, journalist Aaron Maté wrote on X: “These ‘visitor visas’ are issued to Palestinian children wounded and maimed in Israeli bombings of Gaza who come to the US for medical treatment. Now the Trump State Dept. is cutting them off after some fanatic anti-Palestinian bigot influencers complained. The cruelty is beyond comprehension.”
The Department’s post indicated a review was underway but did not provide a timeline, leaving the duration and operational consequences of the pause uncertain.
[Update 8/16/25, 2:08 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.]
