The United States has expanded its visa restrictions on Palestinians, suspending approvals for nearly all holders of Palestinian passports, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

The new measures, according to the report, go significantly further than the policies previously announced by President Donald Trump’s administration, which had mainly targeted travelers from Gaza.

visa restrictions palestinians

Palestinians standing behind the gate of Rafah crossing hold their passports as they try to cross into Egypt, in the southern Gaza Strip July 10, 2014. At least 74 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel’s Gaza offensive, Palestinian officials said on Thursday, and militants kept up rocket attacks on Tel Aviv and other cities in warfare showing no signs of ending soon. Egypt’s state news agency said Egyptian authorities had decided to open the Rafah border crossing to Gaza on Thursday to allow wounded Palestinians to receive medical care in Egypt. Under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Cairo has secured closures on the Gaza border, increasing economic pressure on Hamas from a long-running Israeli blockade. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA – Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT SOCIETY IMMIGRATION)

The suspension would prevent Palestinians from entering the U.S. for a range of purposes, including medical treatment, higher education and business travel, the newspaper said, citing unidentified officials.

Two weeks ago, the U.S. State Department announced it was halting visitor visas for individuals from Gaza while conducting “a full and thorough” review of the program. That move was condemned by pro-Palestine groups, who called it discriminatory and harmful to civilians already affected by the conflict.

The latest restrictions extend that halt to almost all Palestinian passport holders, according to the Times, though U.S. officials have not yet issued a public statement clarifying the scope of the policy.