Palestinians in Gaza with Australian visas remain trapped as Israel keeps borders closed | Australian immigration and asylum

Australian visa holders in Gaza have the paperwork they need to escape the devastated Palestinian territory but are trapped by closed borders, prompting refugee advocates to intensify calls for support.

Ahmed Abumarzouq’s two nephews were granted humanitarian visas on October 15; This was two days after all living Israeli hostages were returned to Israel under the temporary Gaza ceasefire plan, which has not yet provided for a possible border reopening. For the small number of people eligible for Australian consular assistance (whose immediate family members are citizens or permanent residents), the route to Australia remains complicated.

Abumarzouq’s two nephews, aged 18 and 19, cannot benefit from this aid. All the young people can do now is sit in their makeshift homes in Gaza City, waiting for the Rafah gate, which is controlled by Israeli forces, to open.

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“I was hoping the border would open and I could get them out of there,” said Abumarzouq, the Western Australian government’s treasurer who lived through several wars in Gaza before moving to Perth in 2014.

“But there’s really nothing I can do.”

The nephews’ approved visitor visas expired with the closure of the Rafah crossing point, the only possible exit, in May 2024. Since then, leaving the war zone has been limited to a small number of evacuees, mostly on medical grounds. The young people will fly to their relatives in Australia as soon as they get the opportunity.

An estimated 600 to 700 people in Gaza have Australian visas, according to home affairs minister Tony Burke, but he said on Sunday the home office was not sure how many of those people were still alive.

“Some people in that number will choose to stay, some people will have other options they would have chosen and there will be some people we never hear from again – and there are some in that list of cases we haven’t heard from for a very long time,” he told the ABC.

“A significant number of them are part of split family groups; some of the family are actually in Australia and they want to join.”

Many members of divided families were denied visas. Abumarzouq also applied for visas for his brother, his brother’s wife and their daughters, but their applications were rejected.

“Two boys were approved but the others were not. I don’t know why, I applied to all of them the same way. It’s hard, you feel helpless,” he said.

“For the last two years it’s become a cycle; you fill out the paperwork, you pay the fees, and in the end you only get half results from everything.”

Another Palestinian Australian, who wished to remain anonymous for privacy reasons, applied for a visa for 27 members of his family in December 2023. All were rejected without any reason.

He is waiting for the outcome of the humanitarian visa application he made for his mother in August.

He says the ceasefire has made “no difference” to his relatives’ hopes of leaving. For now, he can only wait for his mother’s visa result.

“Given the current situation and the fragility of the ceasefire, it is really very worrying and agonizing to wait for a response,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the Australian government was “doing all it can to support Australians, permanent residents and their immediate family members who wish to leave Australia” and is “coordinating with governments in the region” to facilitate assisted departures.

“Exit from Gaza is still difficult”

Sarah Dale, center manager and lead solicitor for the Refugee Advice and Casework Service, said travel through Gaza was “concerning” for the small number of Australian visa holders who qualify for consular assistance in Gaza.

“Border crossings are still dangerous, and it took tremendous strength and courage for people fleeing to get out,” he said.

Dale said supporting the evacuation of people from Gaza despite the ceasefire, especially those seeking to reunite with their families, was “absolutely the right thing to do” and was consistent with Australia’s approach to displacement for decades.

“Regardless of whether there is a ceasefire or not, escaping a war zone is not a test of our compassion.”

Rasha Abbas, founder and chief executive of Palestine Australia Aid and Action, said Palestinians in Gaza did not want to leave their homes.

“This is forced displacement. [Israel has] “All security, all security has been taken away from them and there is nothing in terms of basic living needs, no hospital, no education, no food, no home,” he said.

Guardian Australia understands that between the Hamas offensive between 7 October 2023 and 31 December 2024, 1,921 Palestinian citizens arrived in Australia, including those who traveled multiple times. During the same period, Australia issued visas to 3,449 Palestinians who met legal requirements, including health, character and security criteria. This figure includes Palestinians who have more than one visa.