RAFAH, EGYPT – Hollywood star Angelina Jolie visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into Gaza on January 2, engaging with Red Crescent volunteers and truck drivers stalled with humanitarian aid, according to AFP journalists.
Accompanied by an American delegation and greeted by Egyptian officials, Jolie described herself as “honoured” to meet the aid workers. A Red Crescent volunteer informed her that “thousands of aid trucks” remain waiting at the border.
Local media reported the trip aimed to assess injured Palestinians evacuated to Egypt and probe aid delivery hurdles into the war-torn enclave. Neither Jolie nor Egyptian authorities have commented officially.
The Rafah crossing, meant to reopen under an October ceasefire, stays shuttered. On January 2, Egypt and six nations including Saudi Arabia urged global pressure on Israel, labeled the occupying power, to ease restrictions on essential supplies.
Tensions flared in early December when Israel said Rafah would open only for Gaza exits; Cairo rejected any such approval. Jolie, an iconic figure who ended her 20-year stint as UN refugee agency special envoy in 2022 to tackle wider humanitarian causes, spotlights the crisis through this high-profile visit.