Trump administration halts medical visas for Gaza patients over ‘security threat’
New York: The Trump administration has paused approvals of visitor visas for individuals from Gaza, blocking a critical channel for patients seeking medical treatment in the United States.
The decision, reported by the International New York Times on Sunday, affects even young children who had recently arrived in the country with serious injuries.
The State Department mentioned that it would assess the process behind those visas. “All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review,” the department said in a statement on the social platform X.
The announcement followed a campaign led by right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who labelled the medical evacuation flights a “national security threat” in a series of posts targeting a nonprofit organisation coordinating the medical evacuations.
“Under the Trump administration, they are actively importing Gazans into the U.S. Clearly, this is not what we voted for,” Loomer said in an interview.
The nonprofit, Ohio-based HEAL Palestine, had earlier described its initiative as the “largest single medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza to the U.S.”
Since launching the effort, the group says it has facilitated treatment for 63 children, including 11 who were flown this month to hospitals in nine American cities. Many of them, aged between 6 and 15, had lost limbs in the ongoing conflict, added the report.
According to HEAL Palestine, once their treatment is complete, the children are expected to travel via Egypt to reunite with their families.
Co-founder Dr Zeena Salman stressed the urgency of the missions, calling them a matter of survival. “These children could not wait. Their lives are at stake, and this mission is about giving them a future,” she said earlier this month.
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Minor girl kidnapped and raped; main accused and two cafe owners held
Latur (PTI): A minor girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped by an 18-year-old man in Latur, leading to the arrest of the main accused and owners of two cafes where the crime occurred on December 4, police said on Saturday.
Police traced the girl within hours of registering the complaint. The accused, identified as Rihan Gulab Shaikh, was arrested based on the girl's complaint. Two others are owners of two cafes where the crime occurred, police said.
Police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), POCSO Act, and the Prevention of Atrocities Act, an official said.
