Angelina Jolie visits Egyptian side of Rafah crossing to meet Palestinian refugees, aid workers

Actress Angelina Jolie visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing to Gaza on Friday, accompanied by an American delegation. Officials welcomed the Hollywood icon and former special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency, and she spoke with aid workers and volunteers.

Local media reported that the purpose of the visit was to meet injured Palestinians receiving treatment in Egypt and to review aid deliveries to Gaza. The Associated Press reported that Jolie spoke with patients at a hospital in the nearby town of Arish.

In Rafah, Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent, a nonprofit humanitarian aid organization, as well as truck drivers responsible for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Oscar winner said she was “honored” to meet the volunteers.

The Rafah border crossing was to reopen as part of the ceasefire in force in Gaza since Octoberbut has until now remained closed. In a joint statement Friday, Egypt and six other countries, including Saudi Arabia, “urged the international community to pressure Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift constraints on the entry and distribution of essential supplies” to Gaza.

In early December, Israel announced that the Rafah crossing would be open only to those wishing to leave Gaza, prompting Cairo to quickly deny having approved such a move. Egypt opposes it to Palestinian refugees settling within its borders.

Israel said it would only allow Palestinians to leave Gaza, not enter it, until Hamas militants in the territory return all hostages taken on October 7, 2023. remains of a hostage are still in Gaza.

Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began, 416 people have been killed and 1,142 injured in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. The overall Palestinian death toll from the war stands at at least 71,271.

Jolie, one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures, resigned from his role as special envoy to the UN refugee agency in late 2022 after more than 20 years of service, saying she wanted to work on broader humanitarian issues. The actor met refugees in Yemen And survivors of missile attack in Ukraine in 2022.