The U.S. State Department said on 16 August that it has halted issuance of all visitor visas for people from Gaza while it conducts “a full and thorough review” of recent approvals. The move suspends a programme that had allowed wounded Palestinians to travel to the United States for medical treatment under temporary B1/B2 visas. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS on Sunday that the pause follows congressional inquiries and evidence that some organisations arranging the travel have “strong links to Hamas.” Although only a handful of humanitarian visas were granted in recent days, State Department data show more than 3,800 visitor visas have been issued this year to holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents, including 640 in May. Humanitarian groups said the freeze jeopardises life-saving care for Gaza residents. HEAL Palestine, which has brought 15 severely injured children to the United States in the past two weeks, called the decision “devastating.” The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued similar warnings, while the World Health Organization estimates that about 14,800 patients in Gaza still require treatment unavailable in the territory’s crippled health system. The step is part of a broader tightening of visa scrutiny under the Trump administration. On 18 August the State Department said it has revoked more than 6,000 student visas this year for overstays, criminal offences or support for terrorism, bringing total visa cancellations in 2025 to roughly 40,000.