CAIRO, EGYPT January 2, 2026 – Hollywood actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie made a high-profile visit to the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing on Friday, January 2, where she met with aid workers and displaced Palestinians amid ongoing restrictions on humanitarian deliveries to Gaza.
Jolie, a former special envoy for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), toured the area accompanied by Egyptian officials, including North Sinai Governor Khaled Megawer. She interacted with volunteers from the Egyptian Red Crescent, shaking hands and speaking with truck drivers waiting to deliver supplies into the Gaza Strip. Footage from the visit shows Jolie expressing honor in meeting the aid workers, highlighting hundreds of trucks laden with aid that were stalled at the crossing.
During her trip, Jolie also visited a hospital where she met injured Palestinians who had been transferred to Egypt for treatment. In one poignant encounter shared on social media, she spoke with a young Palestinian girl who had lost her family in the conflict. The child reportedly offered to share her dinner with Jolie, underscoring the resilience and generosity amid profound loss.
The visit comes at a time when aid deliveries through Rafah remain severely limited due to Israel’s closure of the crossing amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which began in October 2023. Humanitarian groups have reported that only a fraction of needed supplies are getting through, exacerbating the crisis in Gaza where over 2 million people face acute shortages of food, medicine, and shelter. Jolie has long been an advocate for refugees and displaced persons, using her platform to draw attention to global humanitarian issues.
Egyptian media and officials praised the visit for bringing international focus to the plight of Palestinians. However, some critics on social media questioned the timing and motives, with reactions ranging from support for her activism to skepticism about celebrity involvement in geopolitics.
Jolie’s representatives stated that the trip was part of her ongoing commitment to supporting those affected by conflict, emphasizing the urgent need for unrestricted aid access to prevent further suffering in Gaza. As ceasefire talks stall, her presence at Rafah serves as a reminder of the human cost of the protracted conflict.
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