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New Zealand is gravely concerned by the impact of this conflict on civilians. The loss of life is appalling. The Government is continuing to monitor the situation closely, along with our partners.
Updated: 7 August 2025.
How New Zealand is providing support
New Zealand has announced 5 tranches of support to the humanitarian response, totalling NZD $22 million, to address urgent humanitarian needs in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict. This includes contributions of:
- NZD $10.5 million to the World Food Programme (WFP)
- NZD $5 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
- NZD $4.5 million to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and
- NZD $2 million to the United Nations 2720 Mechanism for Gaza.
New Zealand is supporting the humanitarian efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Food Programme to address the urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza.
Information on New Zealand’s response to the Israel and Hamas conflict can be found on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s website.
Israel-Hamas Conflict — Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Where New Zealand has previously created new visa pathways for certain conflicts these have been in response to specific and different circumstances.
Afghanistan was a situation where unique circumstances required a targeted approach as Afghan nationals were at risk of harm due to their previous work and connections with the New Zealand Defence Force and other agencies in Afghanistan.
Ukraine was an unusual situation given the fact that the UNHCR was unable to refer people from Ukraine to New Zealand through INZ’s refugee quota, which meant there were limited pathways for Ukrainian refugees.
Decisions on changes to immigration policy settings are decided by the Government.
Immigration New Zealand’s response
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) understands the difficult situation this crisis is causing for many and has great sympathy for those separated from their loved ones during this stressful time.
The primary way New Zealand provides support for international refugee situations is through the Refugee Quota, with an annual quota of 1500 people per annum.
Refugees accepted through the Refugee Quota are referred to us by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas started, we have put in place processes to ensure consistency and priority allocation for any applications received for people living in these locations. These processes include:
- Processing all visitor visa general applications from Palestinian and Israeli passport holders in the same office.
- Setting up a dedicated INZ mailbox for applicants to use to request prioritisation of applications.
- The New Zealand Embassy in Cairo providing consular assistance for New Zealand citizens and residents attempting to leave Gaza and travel to New Zealand. So far, 26 New Zealand citizens and permanent residents have been assisted to leave Gaza.
Note
Only Palestinians who are also citizens of a third country, and their immediate family members (dependent children and partners), are currently being granted exit permits to leave Gaza.
The New Zealand Embassy in Cairo continues to petition the Israeli and Egyptian governments for valid New Zealand visa holders to be permitted to leave Gaza.
We will continue to prioritise and process applications for people impacted by the conflict.
INZ’s response as at 5 August 2025
Since 7 October 2023, we have received:
- 1,318 applications from Israeli nationals across both temporary and residence visa applications. Of those received, 1,171 have been approved, 51 declined, 54 in progress and the remainder have been withdrawn.
- 359 applications from Palestinian passport holders across both temporary and residence visa applications. Of those received, 249 have been approved, 81 declined, 21 are in progress and the remainder have been withdrawn.
Of the approved applications 612 Israeli nationals and 107 Palestinians have arrived in New Zealand. These include all visa types.
