Charity expresses concern after US halts entry of sick Gazans, says treatments not funded by taxpayer money

An organization that has been bringing severely wounded Gazan children and their family members to the United States for medical treatment says it is “distressed” by the US State Department’s decision to halt visitor visas for Palestinians from the Strip.

The State Department announced the move on Saturday hours after far-right activist and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer began expressing alarm over the entry of the young Gazans and their families into the US and even spoke to Secretary of State Marco Rubio about her concerns.

Loomer is a close ally of US President Donald Trump who played a key role in the purge of National Security Council staffers earlier this year. She has also called herself a “proud Islamophobe,” and promoted the ideas that the 9/11 terror attacks were an “inside job” and that several school shootings were “false flags.”

In her posts against the entry of Gazan children into the US, she suggested that American tax dollars were paying for the treatment.

HEAL Palestine, the organization behind the evacuations, says that it funds the treatment, not US taxpayer dollars.

“After their treatment is complete, the children and any accompanying family members return to the Middle East. This is a medical treatment program, not a refugee resettlement program,” the group says.

“Our mission gives children a renewed chance at life, whether through life-saving surgery or the ability to walk again. U.S. tax dollars do not fund this treatment.”

“Guided by human and American values, HEAL is committed to offering hope and healing to the few young lives we can reach,” the group adds.