- Angelina Jolie visited Egypt Rafah border.
- Met aid workers, witnessed truck backlog.
- Thousands of vital aid packages delayed.
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie arrived at the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into Gaza on Friday, where she reportedly spoke extensively with members of the Red Crescent and truck drivers tasked with ferrying essential humanitarian aid. As reported by AFP journalists who were present at the location, Jolie was accompanied by an American delegation and was greeted by current and former Egyptian officials. The Oscar winner publicly stated she was “honored” to meet the dedicated aid volunteers at the critical border crossing.
The focus of the visit quickly centered on the immense logistical blockages severely hindering relief efforts. A Red Crescent volunteer directly informed Jolie, the former special envoy for the UN refugee agency, that “there are thousands of aid trucks just waiting” at the border crossing, unable to move supplies into the heavily affected territory of Gaza. According to local media and sources, Jolie undertook the visit primarily to observe the condition of injured Palestinians who had been transferred to Egypt for treatment and to investigate the challenges surrounding aid distribution.
Jolie, known globally for her dedicated humanitarian work, stepped down from her role as special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency at the end of 2022 after more than two decades of service, stating her intention to focus on broader global humanitarian issues. Her high profile visit immediately amplified international scrutiny on the functioning of the Rafah crossing.
Officially, the Rafah border crossing was slated to be reopened under the terms of the temporary ceasefire that was in effect in Gaza. However, the crossing has regrettably remained substantially closed to the necessary flow of aid. The continuous constraints prompted a joint statement on Friday from Egypt and six other major regional countries, including Saudi Arabia. This powerful diplomatic consortium “urged the international community to pressure Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift the constraints on the entry and distribution of essential supplies” into Gaza.
This regional pressure follows reports from early December, when Israel reportedly announced that the Rafah crossing would be opened solely for those wishing to exit Gaza, a claim which Cairo swiftly denied, insisting that it had not approved such a move. As of this report, neither Jolie nor the Egyptian authorities have provided an official public comment on the details of her highly sensitive visit, according to Arab News.