Angelina Jolie Visits Egypt’s Rafah Border, Calls for Urgent Aid to Gaza

Hollywood actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie on Friday visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing into Gaza, where she met with Red Crescent volunteers and truck drivers transporting humanitarian supplies, AFP journalists reported.

The Oscar-winning actor arrived in Egypt’s North Sinai Governorate as part of an American delegation and was received by former and current officials at the crossing. Speaking during the visit, Jolie said she was “honoured” to meet aid workers who continue to operate under difficult conditions.

Red Crescent volunteers at the border told Jolie that thousands of humanitarian aid trucks remain stranded, awaiting clearance to enter Gaza amid ongoing restrictions.

According to local media, Jolie — a former Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) — undertook the visit to assess the condition of injured Palestinians evacuated to Egypt and to observe the status of aid deliveries into the besieged enclave.

Neither Jolie nor Egyptian authorities have issued an official statement on the visit as of Friday.

The Rafah crossing, which was expected to reopen under the ceasefire in Gaza that has been in effect since October, remains closed. In a joint statement released the same day, Egypt and six other countries, including Saudi Arabia, called on the international community to pressure Israel, as the occupying power, to “immediately lift restrictions on the entry and distribution of essential supplies” to Gaza.

In early December, Israel announced plans to open the Rafah crossing solely for Palestinians wishing to leave Gaza — a move that Egypt swiftly rejected, saying it had not approved such an arrangement.

Jolie, one of Hollywood’s most prominent humanitarian advocates, stepped down from her role as UNHCR Special Envoy at the end of 2022 after more than two decades of service, stating her intention to focus on broader global humanitarian efforts.