Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest war

Protesters with flashlights on their phones during Tel Aviv demonstration

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested in Tel Aviv over the weekend, calling for an end to the war in Gaza

(Image credit: Yael Guisky Abas / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty Images)

published 18 August 2025

What happened

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis joined a rally in Tel Aviv Sunday evening following a day of nationwide strikes and protests calling for an end to the war in Gaza and a return of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. In the U.S., the Trump administration said it was suspending all visitor visas from Gaza, a day after far-right activist Laura Loomer criticized medical visas for injured Gazan children as a "national security threat."

Who said what

Sunday's Tel Aviv rally was "one of the largest and fiercest" in 22 months of war, The Associated Press said. At least one protester "carried a photo of an emaciated Palestinian child from Gaza," a "once rare" sight in Israel that is increasingly common as "outrage grows over conditions in the territory after more than 250 malnutrition-related deaths."

Loomer "wields extraordinary power in shaping Trump administration decisions over personnel and policy despite not having an official role in government," said The New York Times. She told the paper she spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday night about her concerns with the Gaza visas and an "Islamic invasion."

What next?

Rubio told CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday that he halted the Gaza medical-humanitarian visas after "outreach from multiple congressional offices" about the visas and the groups bringing the injured kids to the U.S. for treatment. "There was just a small number of them issued to children," he said, "but they come with adults accompanying them."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.