US Bans Visas For Palestinians Passport Holders, Including Students & Patients: Report

Last Updated:September 01, 2025, 16:56 IST

The US State Department began halting all visitor visas for Gazans two weeks ago, saying it needed time to carry out a “full and thorough” policy review

Palestinians sit outside Al-Shifa hospital where casualties of Israeli strikes on Gaza City the previous night were transported. (AFP photo)

The United States has reportedly stopped issuing visas to almost all people holding Palestinian passports, including those seeking medical care, education, or business travel, according to a report by The New York Times published on Sunday.

The newspaper said the new visa restrictions go further than earlier restrictions announced under the administration of US President Donald Trump, which mainly targeted visitors from Gaza. The latest move is said to apply more broadly and affects students, patients, and professionals.

According to unnamed officials cited in the report, the US State Department began halting all visitor visas for Gazans two weeks ago, saying it needed time to carry out a “full and thorough" policy review. The decision has been strongly criticised by pro-Palestinian groups and rights organisations.

This development comes just one day after The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is also discussing a controversial plan to relocate Gaza’s entire population and put the territory under long-term US administration.

According to the report, the plan would transform Gaza — largely destroyed in Israel’s war against Hamas in 2023 — into a US-managed zone for at least 10 years. The project, detailed in a 38-page proposal, includes building luxury resorts, high-tech cities, and turning Gaza into what Trump once called the “Riviera of the Middle East."

The proposal suggests the temporary or voluntary relocation of Gaza’s 2 million residents, either to other countries or into controlled zones within Gaza during reconstruction. People who own land in the area would receive digital tokens in exchange for development rights, which could later be used to claim homes in future “smart cities" or to start anew elsewhere.

The plan, reportedly drafted by Israeli and American figures, would be run by a body called the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust, or GREAT Trust.

There has been no official comment from the White House, although Trump is said to have chaired a meeting on the issue last week.

(With inputs from agencies)

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First Published:

September 01, 2025, 16:56 IST

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