‘We are delighted’: Government reverses cancelled Gaza visas

Several Palestinians fleeing the war in Gaza who were devastated after their visas were cancelled while en route to Australia have again been granted permission to travel to the country, a move that has thrilled advocates in Australia.

Rasha Abbas, executive director of the Palestine Australia Relief and Action group, said eight of the 11 Palestinians her organisation was assisting had been told their cancelled visas had been reinstated.

“We are delighted and happy that they are able to travel to Australia,” Abbas said.

“We are working through booking the flights for them and we will work with the government on the process for the remaining visa holders.

“We are relieved the government has reinstated some of the visas – not all of them but the majority have been reinstated.”

Palestinians are fleeing devastation in Gaza, including dire food shortages.Credit: AP

Of the three people who had not had visas reinstated, Abbas said: “Hopefully we will have the same outcome for all of them.”

A government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that several visa cancellations had been reversed to allow Palestinians to travel onwards to Australia after checks were completed.

Visas were cancelled in cases where individuals had left Gaza without explanation or where there had been a significant change in their circumstances, the source said.

Among Gazans who have had their visas reinstated is Cassandra, a mother from Khan Younis in southern Gaza whose case was highlighted by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age last week.

Cassandra, who used a pseudonym to protect her identity, said that she and her children were allowed to board a flight from Cairo, with a stopover at another Middle Eastern airport, last week after being assured they were able to travel onwards to Australia.

After being told she could not board a flight for the final leg of her journey, she said she was given the option of sending her children, who are aged under 13, to Australia without any parental supervision.

All eventually boarded flights back to Cairo together, with the children in tears.

Cassandra said she was terrified about the future because her family’s residency permits in Egypt were due to expire in 45 days and they didn’t know if they would be able to return to Gaza.

Cassandra said she had spent thousands of dollars on visa applications and flights to Australia for her family, money she feared had been wasted.

A Palestinian man named Hani left stranded at Istanbul airport after having his visa cancelled while en route to Australia has not had his visa reinstated.

The Home Affairs Department had told applicants their visas had been cancelled because it believed they may wish to stay in Australia when their visas run out.

Speaking on the ABC’s Insiders program before news of the reversals was made public, opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson suggested the Palestinians’ visas had been cancelled because of security concerns.

“They were granting visas to people that their own security advice now says they shouldn’t, and no wonder, because they were rushing them through so quickly,” Paterson said.

Abbas said the fact the government had reinstated the visas showed the Gazans in question did not pose a security risk to Australia and were simply desperate people fleeing a war zone.

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