Hollywood actress and former UN Refugee Agency special envoy, Angelina Jolie, visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into Gaza on Friday, meeting with Red Crescent volunteers and truck drivers delivering humanitarian aid, AFP journalists reported.
Accompanied by an American delegation and welcomed by former and current officials, Jolie described it as an “honour” to interact with the aid workers on the ground. A Red Crescent volunteer told her that “thousands of aid trucks are just waiting” to enter Gaza.
Local media reported that Jolie’s visit aimed to assess the condition of injured Palestinians transferred to Egypt and review the flow of humanitarian aid into the war-torn territory. Neither Jolie nor Egyptian authorities have issued an official comment on the visit.
The Rafah crossing, which was scheduled to reopen under the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza since October, remains closed, complicating aid delivery. In a joint statement on Friday, Egypt and six other countries, including Saudi Arabia, urged the international community to pressure Israel to immediately lift restrictions on the entry and distribution of essential supplies to Gaza.
Earlier in December, Israel announced plans to open the Rafah crossing only for those leaving Gaza, a move swiftly denied by Cairo, which said it had not approved the decision.
Jolie, widely recognized as one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures, stepped down from her UN refugee agency role in 2022 after more than 20 years, expressing a desire to focus on broader humanitarian issues.
Her visit underscores the urgent need for international support to ensure critical aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza amid ongoing humanitarian challenges.
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