The Australian government has revealed a new concern related to its decision to cancel the visas of a number of Palestinians trying to flee the bombardment in Gaza and reach family in Australia.
Several Palestinians who were granted Australian visas were in transit to reunite with their families when .
SBS News understands there are concerns about how some visa holders have passed through the and that has caused complications for their applications.
Egypt reopened the crossing in November last year to allow foreign passport holders, Egyptian citizens, and seriously sick and injured Palestinians to leave.
The visa cancellation notices said a delegate reviewed the cases and rejected the visas because of concerns they were not coming to Australia temporarily.
After being pressed to explain further, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil issued a statement through a spokesperson raising broad national security concerns.
On Friday, an updated statement provided extra detail about the way the visas are being reassessed.
“If people make it out of Gaza without explanation, or their circumstances change in any meaningful way, we will take the time to understand those changes before proceeding,” the statement said.
Advocates for the affected visa holders say anyone who is granted permission to leave Gaza undergoes extensive security checks through the Israeli, Egyptian and Australian governments.
Earlier on Friday, Greens leader Adam Bandt refuted the government's security checks defence and claimed it differed from the explanation offered to those whose visas were rescinded.
He said families were told that Labor had cancelled their visas because they didn't know how long the war in Gaza would last and therefore how long they would be in Australia.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong acknowledged the cancellations were "incredibly distressing" for people with family in Gaza but defended the visa approval system.
It came as Wong announced to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) - the primary aid organisation in the Palestinian territories.
Wong also announced a further $6 million in aid for the Gaza Strip after expressing horror at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave.
In January, she froze funding to UNRWA after allegations by Israel that some staff were involved in the 7 October attack on southern Israel by militant Gaza rulers Hamas.
A small number of the agency's staff were fired following the accusations.
With the Australian Associated Press.
