02 January,2026 10:32 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Angelina Jolie speaks to a member of the Egyptian Red Crescent (Pic/AFP)
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into Gaza on Friday, where she met and spoke with members of the Red Crescent and truck drivers ferrying humanitarian aid.
She was accompanied by an American delegation as well as former and current officials. The actress said she was "honoured" to meet aid volunteers at the crossing. A delegation from the U.S. State Department as well as Egyptian officials, including Khaled Maghawer, Governor of North Sinai, and Nabila Makram, former Minister of Migration, were seen accompanying Jolie during her visit.
During the visit, Angelina highlighted the importance of increasing the supply of humanitarian aid soon to Gaza, where many people are facing severe suffering and a deepening humanitarian crisis. Governor Maghawer stated the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing remains open and that it is prepared to receive injured and sick Palestinians for treatment in Egyptian hospitals.
Similarly, a Red Crescent volunteer told the actress that "there are thousands of aid trucks just waiting" at the border crossing. According to local media, she, along with a former special envoy for the UN refugee agency, visited the site to see the condition of injured Palestinians transferred to Egypt and to examine the aid deliveries into the devastated territory.
Angelia Jolie, who is known as one of Hollywood's most iconic figures, stepped down from her role as special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency towards the end of 2022. Notably, her decision came after more than 20 years of service, expressing that she wanted to work on broader humanitarian issues.
Her recent visit to Rafah comes amid growing international concern and support for actions to provide aid and care to people affected by the ongoing war situation in Gaza. The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar issued a joint statement on Friday expressing deep concern over the rapidly worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. In a joint statement, they"urged the international community to pressure Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift the constraints on the entry and distribution of essential supplies" to Gaza.
