The Palestine Children's Relief Fund, a US-based charity, called on the Trump administration to "reverse this dangerous and inhumane decision."
AFP
Sat, August 16, 2025
Far-right influencer and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer called for the US to stop giving wounded Gazans visas for medical treatment (STEPHANIE KEITH)STEPHANIE KEITH/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFPMore
The US government said Saturday it is suspending visitor visas for Gazans after a far-right influencer with the ear of President Donald Trump complained that wounded Palestinians had been allowed to seek medical treatment in the United States.
The announcement came one day after a series of furious social media posts by Laura Loomer, who is known for promoting racist conspiracy theories and claiming that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were an inside job.
"All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days," the State Department, which is led by Marco Rubio, wrote on X.
In a series of posts on X Friday, Loomer called on the State Department to stop giving visas to Palestinians from Gaza who she said were "pro-HAMAS... affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and funded by Qatar," without providing evidence.
Loomer's target was the US-based charity HEAL Palestine, which said last week it had helped 11 critically wounded Gazan children -- as well as their caregivers and siblings -- arrive safely in the US for medical treatment.
It was "the largest single medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza to the US," the charity said on its website.
- 'Dangerous and inhumane' -
"Truly unacceptable," Loomer wrote in another X post. "Someone needs to be fired at @StateDept when @marcorubio figures out who approved the visas."
"Qatar transported these GAZANS into the US via @qatarairways," she said. Qatar is "literally flooding our country with jihadis," she added.
Loomer said she had spoken to the staff of Republican Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, adding that they were "also looking into how these GAZANS got visas to come into the US."
Republican Congressman Randy Fine explicitly commended Loomer after the visa change was announced, in a sign of her sway over some US policy.
"Massive credit needs to be given to @LauraLoomer for uncovering this and making me and other officials aware. Well done, Laura," Fine wrote on X.
The Palestine Children's Relief Fund, a US-based charity, called on the Trump administration to "reverse this dangerous and inhumane decision."
Over the last 30 years the charity has evacuated thousands of Palestinian children to the US for medical care, it said a statement.
"Medical evacuations are a lifeline for the children of Gaza who would otherwise face unimaginable suffering or death due to the collapse of medical infrastructure in Gaza."
Though Loomer holds no official position, she wields significant power, and is reported to have successfully pushed for the dismissal of several senior US security officials she deemed disloyal to Trump.
In July, Loomer took aim at a job offer made to a highly qualified Biden-era official for a prestigious position at the West Point military academy. The Pentagon rescinded the offer one day later.
Trump also fired the head of the highly sensitive National Security Agency, Timothy Haugh, and his deputy Wendy Noble in April at the apparent urging of Loomer, after she met with the president at the White House.
"No other content creator or journalist has gotten as many Biden holdovers fired from the Trump admin!" Loomer posted on X Saturday.
nr/dl/sla
US suspends visas for Gaza residents after right-wing social media storm
Al Jazeera
Sat, August 16, 2025
The headquarters of the Department of State in Washington, DC [File: Mark Schiefelbein: AP Photo]
The United States has announced that it is halting all visitor visas for people from Gaza pending a “a full and thorough” review, a day after social media posts about Palestinian refugees sparked furious reactions from right-wingers.
The Department of State’s move on Saturday came a day after far-right activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer posted on X that Palestinians “who claim to be refugees from Gaza” entered the US via San Francisco and Houston this month.
“How is allowing for Islamic immigrants to come into the US America First policy?” she said on X in a later post, going on to report further Palestinian arrivals in Missouri and claiming that “several US Senators and members of Congress” had texted her to express their fury.
Republican lawmakers speaking publicly about the matter included Chip Roy of Texas, who said he would inquire about the matter, and Randy Fine of Florida, who described the alleged arrivals as a “national security risk”.
By Saturday, the State Department announced it was stopping visas for “individuals from Gaza” while it conducted “a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days”. It did not provide a figure.
The US issued 640 visas to holders of the Palestinian Authority travel document in May, according to the Reuters news agency. B1/B2 visitor visas permit Palestinians to seek medical treatment in the US.
Loomer greeted Saturday’s State Department announcement with glee.
“It’s amazing how fast we can get results from the Trump administration,” she said on Saturday, though she later posted that more needed to be done to “highlight the crisis of the invasion happening in our country”.
The decision to cut visas comes as Israel intensifies its attacks on Gaza, where at least 61,827 people have been killed in the past 22 months, with the United Nations warning that “widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease” are driving a rise in famine-related deaths.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing to seize Gaza City as part of a takeover of the Strip, forcibly displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to concentration zones.
US stops visitor visas for people from Gaza
Jasper Ward
Sat, August 16, 2025
REUTERS
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike, in Khan Younis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department on Saturday said it was halting all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza while it conducts "a full and thorough" review, a move that has been condemned by pro-Palestine groups.
The department said "a small number" of temporary medical-humanitarian visas had been issued in recent days but did not provide a figure.
The U.S. issued more than 3,800 B1/B2 visitor visas, which permit foreigners to seek medical treatment in the United States, to holders of the Palestinian Authority travel document so far in 2025, according to an analysis of monthly figures provided on the department's website. That figure includes 640 visas issued in May.
The PA issues such travel documents to residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The department’s website did not include a breakdown for the two territories.
The State Department's move to stop visitor visas for people from Gaza comes after Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and an ally of President Donald Trump, said on social media on Friday that the Palestinian "refugees" had entered the U.S. this month.
Loomer's statement sparked outrage among some Republicans, with U.S. Representative Chip Roy, of Texas, saying he would inquire about the matter and Representative Randy Fine, of Florida, describing it as a "national security risk".
The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the move, saying it was the latest sign of the "intentional cruelty" of the Trump administration.
The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund said the decision to halt visas would deny access to medical care to wounded and sick children in Gaza .
"This policy will have a devastating and irreversible impact on our ability to bring injured and critically ill children from Gaza to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment—a mission that has defined our work for more than 30 years," it said in a statement.
Gaza has been devastated by a war that was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
The U.S. has not indicated that it would accept Palestinians displaced by the war. However, sources told Reuters that South Sudan and Israel are discussing a plan to resettle Palestinians.
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike, in Khan Younis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department on Saturday said it was halting all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza while it conducts "a full and thorough" review, a move that has been condemned by pro-Palestine groups.
The department said "a small number" of temporary medical-humanitarian visas had been issued in recent days but did not provide a figure.
The U.S. issued more than 3,800 B1/B2 visitor visas, which permit foreigners to seek medical treatment in the United States, to holders of the Palestinian Authority travel document so far in 2025, according to an analysis of monthly figures provided on the department's website. That figure includes 640 visas issued in May.
The PA issues such travel documents to residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The department’s website did not include a breakdown for the two territories.
The State Department's move to stop visitor visas for people from Gaza comes after Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and an ally of President Donald Trump, said on social media on Friday that the Palestinian "refugees" had entered the U.S. this month.
Loomer's statement sparked outrage among some Republicans, with U.S. Representative Chip Roy, of Texas, saying he would inquire about the matter and Representative Randy Fine, of Florida, describing it as a "national security risk".
The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the move, saying it was the latest sign of the "intentional cruelty" of the Trump administration.
The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund said the decision to halt visas would deny access to medical care to wounded and sick children in Gaza .
"This policy will have a devastating and irreversible impact on our ability to bring injured and critically ill children from Gaza to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment—a mission that has defined our work for more than 30 years," it said in a statement.
Gaza has been devastated by a war that was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
The U.S. has not indicated that it would accept Palestinians displaced by the war. However, sources told Reuters that South Sudan and Israel are discussing a plan to resettle Palestinians.
US halts visas for Gazans after Loomer highlights their arrival at airports
Susie Coen
Sat, August 16, 2025
TELEGRAPH, UK
An injured Gazan teenager arrives at Washington Dulles International Airport on Aug 09 as part of a humanitarian evacuation by Heal Palestine. Meanwhile, Laura Loomer has hit out at Gazan arrivals fearing retribution against Americans - Mehmet Eser/Zuma Press/ShutterstockMore
The US has halted all visitor visas for people from Gaza after Laura Loomer, the far-Right activist, shared videos allegedly showing evacuees from the wartorn enclave arriving at US airports.
“All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days,” the US state department wrote in a statement posted on X.
Laura Loomer wants arrivals stopped before ‘one of these Gazans goes rogue and kills Americans for Hamas’ - John Lamparski/Getty
On Friday, Ms Loomer, a Maga loyalist, posted several times about Heal Palestine, a humanitarian aid group, allegedly facilitating the evacuation of Gazans injured by Israeli forces to the US for medical treatment.
According to its website, the NGO has helped evacuate 148 people from Gaza, including 63 injured children.
It claims to have carried out the largest single medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza to the US in July. This included 11 critically injured children, with their caregivers and siblings.
Among those evacuated were Seba, 12, who lost both legs in a school bombing and Anas, eight, who is the sole survivor of a bombing that killed his entire family.
Injured Palestinian teenagers in need of care are among the Gazans seen arriving at US airports - Zuma Press/Avalon
Ms Loomer took credit for the state department’s halt on medical humanitarian visas for Gazans on Saturday, saying it had been in response to the “release of my reports yesterday exposing flights of Gazans arriving at airports all across the US”.
Writing on X, Ms Loomer said: “The Trump administration needs to shut this abomination down ASAP before a family member of one of these Gazans goes rogue and kills Americans for Hamas.”
She also called for those responsible for approving humanitarian visas to the children and their families to be fired.
Her posts were picked up by some pro-Israel Republicans.
“Deeply concerned about the incoming flights – including to Texas – allegedly filled with folks from Gaza as reported by @LauraLoomer. Inquiring,” Congressman Chip Roy wrote on Friday.
Florida Republican Randy Fine said: “Massive credit needs to be given to @LauraLoomer for uncovering this and making me and other officials aware.”
Palestinians seek aid supplies from trucks that entered Gaza - Dawoud Abu Alkas TPX/Reuters
The US government halting visas for children injured in Gaza comes amid continued outrage over the conditions faced by those in Gaza.
A baby girl and her parents were reportedly killed by an Israeli airstrike on Saturday, according to Nasser hospital officials and witnesses.
Motasem al-Batta, his wife and the girl were killed in their tent in the crowded Muwasi area.
Israel’s military says it is dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities and takes precautions not to harm civilians.
Muwasi is one of the heavily populated areas in Gaza where Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said his forces plan to widen the coming military offensive.
Desperate Palestinians resort to living in tents on the beach in Gaza - Mahmoud Issa/Anadolu via Getty
The mobilisation of forces is expected to take weeks, and Israel may be using the threat to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages.
It comes as the United Nations was warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza were at their highest since the war began.
Palestinians are reportedly drinking contaminated water as diseases spread, while some Israeli leaders continue to talk openly about the mass relocation of people from Gaza.
Gazans scramble for food as limited aid arrives. Many are forced to drink contaminated water risking the spread of disease - Hamza Z H Qraiqea/Anadolu via Getty
Another 11 malnutrition-related deaths occurred in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry said on Saturday, bringing the malnutrition-related deaths during the war to 251.
The UN and partners say getting aid into the territory of more than two million people, and then on to distribution points, remains highly challenging with Israeli restrictions and pressure from crowds of hungry Palestinians.
The UN human rights office claims at least 1,760 people were killed while seeking aid between May 27 and last Wednesday.
State Department halts Gaza visitor visas
Ashleigh Fields
“We each have to continue to have an open heart about how we do this, how we do it effectively, and how we take action in time to make a difference, whether that is stopping the starvation and genocide and destruction of Gaza, or whether that means we are working together to stop the redistricting that is going on, taking away the vote from people in order to retain power,” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said during a Thursday event, referencing redistricting efforts across the country.
Clark is the highest-ranking House Democrat to use the term “genocide” to describe the crisis in Gaza.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
US halts visitor visas used for medical trips from Gaza
Kayla Epstein - BBC
Sat, August 16, 2025
[AFP via Getty Images]
The US State Department announced it was halting all visitor visas for people from Gaza.
The pause was issued to conduct a "full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days," the agency said on X.
The decision has drawn condemnation from some Palestinian rights groups.
Palestine Children's Relief Fund said in a statement that the decision "will have a devastating and irreversible impact on our ability to bring injured and critically ill children from Gaza to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment".
The State Department's policy shift comes after far right activist Laura Loomer wrote a series of posts on X criticising the visa programme and urging the Trump administration to "shut this abomination down."
In subsequent posts on X Saturday, Loomer took credit for the shift and thanked Secretary of State Marco Rubio for temporarily halting the visas.
The Palestinian Children's Relief Fund says it has evacuated 169 children from Gaza in 2024 as part of its treatment abroad programme, bringing them to the Middle East, Europe, South Africa, and the US for care.
Two and a half years into a war that followed Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, Gaza has seen much of its medical infrastructure damaged and now faces dramatic food shortages.
Humanitarian groups have alleged that an Israeli blockade beginning in March has prevented non-governmental organisations from delivering sufficient food into Gaza. The Israeli government says its rules on aid are intended to prevent the food from being taken by Hamas.
UN-backed food security organisations, humanitarian groups, and journalists reporting within Gaza have warned of famine conditions in Gaza.
In late July, the BBC joined international news outlets Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, and Reuters in issuing a public statement warning that journalists in Gaza faced starvation.
"For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering," the outlets wrote.
Susie Coen
Sat, August 16, 2025
TELEGRAPH, UK
An injured Gazan teenager arrives at Washington Dulles International Airport on Aug 09 as part of a humanitarian evacuation by Heal Palestine. Meanwhile, Laura Loomer has hit out at Gazan arrivals fearing retribution against Americans - Mehmet Eser/Zuma Press/ShutterstockMore
The US has halted all visitor visas for people from Gaza after Laura Loomer, the far-Right activist, shared videos allegedly showing evacuees from the wartorn enclave arriving at US airports.
“All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days,” the US state department wrote in a statement posted on X.
Laura Loomer wants arrivals stopped before ‘one of these Gazans goes rogue and kills Americans for Hamas’ - John Lamparski/Getty
On Friday, Ms Loomer, a Maga loyalist, posted several times about Heal Palestine, a humanitarian aid group, allegedly facilitating the evacuation of Gazans injured by Israeli forces to the US for medical treatment.
According to its website, the NGO has helped evacuate 148 people from Gaza, including 63 injured children.
It claims to have carried out the largest single medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza to the US in July. This included 11 critically injured children, with their caregivers and siblings.
Among those evacuated were Seba, 12, who lost both legs in a school bombing and Anas, eight, who is the sole survivor of a bombing that killed his entire family.
Injured Palestinian teenagers in need of care are among the Gazans seen arriving at US airports - Zuma Press/Avalon
Ms Loomer took credit for the state department’s halt on medical humanitarian visas for Gazans on Saturday, saying it had been in response to the “release of my reports yesterday exposing flights of Gazans arriving at airports all across the US”.
Writing on X, Ms Loomer said: “The Trump administration needs to shut this abomination down ASAP before a family member of one of these Gazans goes rogue and kills Americans for Hamas.”
She also called for those responsible for approving humanitarian visas to the children and their families to be fired.
Her posts were picked up by some pro-Israel Republicans.
“Deeply concerned about the incoming flights – including to Texas – allegedly filled with folks from Gaza as reported by @LauraLoomer. Inquiring,” Congressman Chip Roy wrote on Friday.
Florida Republican Randy Fine said: “Massive credit needs to be given to @LauraLoomer for uncovering this and making me and other officials aware.”
Palestinians seek aid supplies from trucks that entered Gaza - Dawoud Abu Alkas TPX/Reuters
The US government halting visas for children injured in Gaza comes amid continued outrage over the conditions faced by those in Gaza.
A baby girl and her parents were reportedly killed by an Israeli airstrike on Saturday, according to Nasser hospital officials and witnesses.
Motasem al-Batta, his wife and the girl were killed in their tent in the crowded Muwasi area.
Israel’s military says it is dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities and takes precautions not to harm civilians.
Muwasi is one of the heavily populated areas in Gaza where Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said his forces plan to widen the coming military offensive.
Desperate Palestinians resort to living in tents on the beach in Gaza - Mahmoud Issa/Anadolu via Getty
The mobilisation of forces is expected to take weeks, and Israel may be using the threat to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages.
It comes as the United Nations was warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza were at their highest since the war began.
Palestinians are reportedly drinking contaminated water as diseases spread, while some Israeli leaders continue to talk openly about the mass relocation of people from Gaza.
Gazans scramble for food as limited aid arrives. Many are forced to drink contaminated water risking the spread of disease - Hamza Z H Qraiqea/Anadolu via Getty
Another 11 malnutrition-related deaths occurred in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry said on Saturday, bringing the malnutrition-related deaths during the war to 251.
The UN and partners say getting aid into the territory of more than two million people, and then on to distribution points, remains highly challenging with Israeli restrictions and pressure from crowds of hungry Palestinians.
The UN human rights office claims at least 1,760 people were killed while seeking aid between May 27 and last Wednesday.
State Department halts Gaza visitor visas
Ashleigh Fields
THE HILL
Sat, August 16, 2025
The State Department on Saturday said it would halt Gaza visitor visas to the U.S.
“All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days,” the department wrote in a Saturday statement on the social media platform X.
The Hill has reached out to the State Department for additional comment.
The move comes a week after President Trump refrained from criticizing Israeli leaders’ efforts to ramp up strikes and increase control in Gaza.
“I know that we are there now trying to get people fed. … As far as the rest of it, I really can’t say. That’s going to be pretty much up to Israel,” Trump told reporters in early August, committing to leading humanitarian aid efforts in the war-torn region.
Several nations and human rights groups have said starvation is persistent among Gazans, urging countries and organizations to aid in food and resource distribution.
In response to on the ground reports, Germany halted military exports to Israel, seeking to dismantle prior support for the use of force in the Gaza Strip.
France, Canada and the United Kingdom also expressed concerns with Israeli operations and announced their intent to recognize Palestinian as an independent sovereign state.
Seventy to 75 percent of Gaza is under Israeli control, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has denied reports about starvation.
Netanyahu said the government’s plans are to overtake parts of the Gaza Strip, which he said are under the control of Hamas.
“Israel’s Cabinet, Israel’s security Cabinet, instructed the IDF to dismantle the two remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the Central Camps,” he added, referring to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). “Contrary to false claims, this is the best way to end the war, and the best way to end it speedily.
In Washington, leaders across the aisle have become increasingly critical of Israel and the situation in Gaza.
Sat, August 16, 2025
The State Department on Saturday said it would halt Gaza visitor visas to the U.S.
“All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days,” the department wrote in a Saturday statement on the social media platform X.
The Hill has reached out to the State Department for additional comment.
The move comes a week after President Trump refrained from criticizing Israeli leaders’ efforts to ramp up strikes and increase control in Gaza.
“I know that we are there now trying to get people fed. … As far as the rest of it, I really can’t say. That’s going to be pretty much up to Israel,” Trump told reporters in early August, committing to leading humanitarian aid efforts in the war-torn region.
Several nations and human rights groups have said starvation is persistent among Gazans, urging countries and organizations to aid in food and resource distribution.
In response to on the ground reports, Germany halted military exports to Israel, seeking to dismantle prior support for the use of force in the Gaza Strip.
France, Canada and the United Kingdom also expressed concerns with Israeli operations and announced their intent to recognize Palestinian as an independent sovereign state.
Seventy to 75 percent of Gaza is under Israeli control, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has denied reports about starvation.
Netanyahu said the government’s plans are to overtake parts of the Gaza Strip, which he said are under the control of Hamas.
“Israel’s Cabinet, Israel’s security Cabinet, instructed the IDF to dismantle the two remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the Central Camps,” he added, referring to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). “Contrary to false claims, this is the best way to end the war, and the best way to end it speedily.
In Washington, leaders across the aisle have become increasingly critical of Israel and the situation in Gaza.
“We each have to continue to have an open heart about how we do this, how we do it effectively, and how we take action in time to make a difference, whether that is stopping the starvation and genocide and destruction of Gaza, or whether that means we are working together to stop the redistricting that is going on, taking away the vote from people in order to retain power,” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said during a Thursday event, referencing redistricting efforts across the country.
Clark is the highest-ranking House Democrat to use the term “genocide” to describe the crisis in Gaza.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
US halts visitor visas used for medical trips from Gaza
Kayla Epstein - BBC
Sat, August 16, 2025
[AFP via Getty Images]
The US State Department announced it was halting all visitor visas for people from Gaza.
The pause was issued to conduct a "full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days," the agency said on X.
The decision has drawn condemnation from some Palestinian rights groups.
Palestine Children's Relief Fund said in a statement that the decision "will have a devastating and irreversible impact on our ability to bring injured and critically ill children from Gaza to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment".
The State Department's policy shift comes after far right activist Laura Loomer wrote a series of posts on X criticising the visa programme and urging the Trump administration to "shut this abomination down."
In subsequent posts on X Saturday, Loomer took credit for the shift and thanked Secretary of State Marco Rubio for temporarily halting the visas.
The Palestinian Children's Relief Fund says it has evacuated 169 children from Gaza in 2024 as part of its treatment abroad programme, bringing them to the Middle East, Europe, South Africa, and the US for care.
Two and a half years into a war that followed Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, Gaza has seen much of its medical infrastructure damaged and now faces dramatic food shortages.
Humanitarian groups have alleged that an Israeli blockade beginning in March has prevented non-governmental organisations from delivering sufficient food into Gaza. The Israeli government says its rules on aid are intended to prevent the food from being taken by Hamas.
UN-backed food security organisations, humanitarian groups, and journalists reporting within Gaza have warned of famine conditions in Gaza.
In late July, the BBC joined international news outlets Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, and Reuters in issuing a public statement warning that journalists in Gaza faced starvation.
"For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering," the outlets wrote.
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