Angelina Jolie visits Egyptian side of Rafah crossing to Gaza
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Actress Angelina Jolie visiting the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into Gaza on Jan 2.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian side to meet Red Crescent volunteers and truck drivers delivering aid.
- Jolie, a former UN special envoy, aimed to see the condition of injured Palestinians and aid deliveries to Gaza.
- Egypt and other nations urge Israel to lift restrictions on aid entering Gaza via the Rafah crossing, which remains largely closed.
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RAFAH, Egypt - Hollywood star Angelina Jolie on Jan 2 visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into Gaza, where she spoke with members of the Red Crescent and truck drivers ferrying humanitarian aid, AFP journalists said.
Accompanied by an American delegation and greeted by former and current officials, Jolie said she was “honoured” to meet aid volunteers at the crossing.
A Red Crescent volunteer told the Oscar winner that “there are thousands of aid trucks just waiting” at the border crossing.
According to local media, the actor and former special envoy for the UN refugee agency made the visit to see the condition of injured Palestinians transferred to Egypt and to look into aid deliveries into the devastated territory.
Jolie and the Egyptian authorities have yet to officially comment on the visit.
The Rafah border crossing was set to be reopened under the ceasefire in effect in Gaza since October, but has so far remained closed.
In a joint statement on Jan 2, Egypt and six other countries including Saudi Arabia “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.
In early December, Israel announced that the Rafah crossing would be opened only for those wishing to leave Gaza, prompting Cairo to swiftly deny that it had approved such a move.
Jolie, one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures, stepped down from her role as special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency at the end of 2022 after more than 20 years of service, saying she wanted to work on broader humanitarian issues. AFP
