A 61-year-old Palestinian woman, Maha Almassri, has been released from immigration detention in Sydney a week after her visa was cancelled by a federal assistant minister. She was detained at Villawood detention centre after being told she had failed a character test.
Almassri fled Gaza in February 2024 and entered Australia on a visitor visa. She was granted a bridging visa in June 2024 after applying for a protection visa. Her cousin, Mohammed Almassri, confirmed her release on Thursday afternoon and said she had requested privacy.
The home affairs minister's office declined to comment, stating that information in the public domain may not be consistent with intelligence held by security agencies. The visa cancellation was personally ordered by Assistant Minister Julian Hill, who cited national interest concerns.
Mohammed Almassri said the family had received no explanation for the detention or the character test failure. He noted that security checks by Australian and Israeli authorities had cleared her before she left Gaza, and questioned how a 61-year-old grandmother could pose a threat.
Almassri has over 100 Australian relatives. A community member thanked the home affairs minister for his efforts in securing her release.
