Overview

• The State Department announced on X that all visitor, medical and humanitarian visas for the Gaza Strip are suspended pending a comprehensive review of recent approvals.
• The visa freeze was triggered by posts from far-right influencer Laura Loomer alleging, without independent verification, that some Gaza medical visitors had ties to pro-Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups and received Qatari funding.
• Republican members of Congress, led by Representative Randy Fine, condemned the policy as unacceptable and pledged to work with authorities to expel any visa holders deemed security risks.
• Senator Tom Cotton’s intelligence committee is examining the visa process to determine how the recent approvals were granted.
• The suspension highlights growing pressure to tighten national-security vetting even as Gaza humanitarian medical evacuations continue during the ongoing Gaza conflict.