Australia ‘cancels’ visas to fleeing Gazans, triggers outcry

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Australian government has been accused of canceling visas to fleeing Palestinians from Gaza, who have been under Israeli attacks for five months.

According to Palestine-Australia Relief and Action (PARA), a community-based group that helps Palestinian migrants and refugees have safe, happy, and fulfilling lives in the country, there are “multiple instances” where family members have their visas “canceled en route to Australia.”

Expressing anger and frustration, the group said it is “deeply concerned” and seeks “urgent clarification as to why some visa cancelations are occurring, leaving Australian family members devastated as their loved ones are being flown back to Egypt or denied departure altogether.”

“Palestinian refugees, who have been vetted multiple times and given visas to join families in Australia, families with young children who escaped the horror of Gaza are now left in airports confused and stranded, without any resources or support structure,” said PARA Founding Director Samah Sabawi, who is in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

Sabawi said Canberra had issued temporary visas to hundreds of family members of Australian citizens. However, “the number of Palestinians who have been able to leave Gaza safely is much lower, with the Australian government citing ‘extremely limited’ capacity to assist them.”

PARA has been funding flights for families who have gained safe passage, but the “abrupt cancelation of previously approved visas has caused significant distress and confusion for people who have already suffered extreme trauma,” the statement said.

Emphasizing the “need for leadership and compassion,” PARA Executive Director Rasha Abbas said: “These people have faced unimaginable horrors, and yet this week it gets worse, with people beginning the journey to be reunited with family, only to be turned back.”

The group urged the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to “urgently resolve the situation and allow Palestinian visa holders to travel to their family in Australia and find the safety they deserve.”

Canberra acknowledged the cancelation of visas.

A spokesperson for Australian Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil told SBS News: “The Australian government recognizes that this is an incredibly distressing time for Australians with extended family members in Gaza.”

“All visa applicants undergo security checks subject to ongoing security assessments. The Australian government reserves the right to cancel any issued visas if circumstances change,” said the spokesperson.

Tel Aviv has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in which 1,163 people were killed.

More than 31,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 73,000 have been injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine. In comparison, 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.