US Halts Gaza Visas After Loomer Videos—Rubio Promises New Review

Loomer’s Posts Change the Course

A single social media video was enough to shake up the US visa policy. Conservative activist Laura Loomer shared footage of children from Gaza arriving in San Francisco and Houston for medical treatment. She labeled it a “national security threat” and demanded answers about who had approved their travel.

Soon after, the State Department announced that the US would impose a temporary halt on all visitor visas from Gaza. According to the department, this involves “a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas,” which will now undergo review.

Rubio: Possible Ties to Hamas

On CBS’s Face the Nation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that the pause was “in response to inquiries from several congressional offices.” He added that there was concern that some of the organizations assisting the children with visas might have “strong ties to Hamas.”

However, Rubio presented no evidence. He emphasized that the children were in serious medical need but alleged they were accompanied by adults whose roles require further investigation.

HEAL Palestine: “We Save Children—Not Politics”

The organization HEAL Palestine, which coordinated the children’s journey, quickly responded to the decision.
“This is a medical treatment program, not a refugee program,” the group stated in a written statement. They note that 15 children have been evacuated to American hospitals in just the last two weeks. After treatment, the children return to the Middle East with their families.

On the organization’s Facebook page, a post features a boy from Gaza on his way to St. Louis for surgery. “He is our 15th evacuated child,” HEAL Palestine wrote.

WHO Warns: 14,800 Patients Await Treatment

Behind the political rhetoric lies a brutal reality. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 14,800 patients in Gaza still need life-saving treatment that cannot be provided locally.
“Ceasefire! Peace is the best medicine,” emphasized WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently on social media.

Before the war, between 50 and 100 patients were evacuated daily from Gaza for treatment abroad. Today, the healthcare system is in ruins, with emergency shortages of medicine and equipment.

A Trial by Fire for Children and Politicians Alike

For the children, the journey to the US is about survival—a real trial by fire in facing unfamiliar hospitals, languages, and doctors. For the Trump administration, the issue has become a different kind of trial: a test of political priorities, security, and humanitarian needs colliding on the global stage.

The outcome of the American review could have far-reaching consequences—not just for the next children awaiting evacuation, but for the entire balance between humanitarian aid and political priorities in one of the world’s longest-running conflicts.

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