Lewis Hamilton visits Egypt’s Rafah crossing and Gaza aid facilities

Prefer the Guardian on GoogleLewis Hamilton has visited Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip to meet organisations sending humanitarian aid to the territory.

O campeão mundial de Fórmula Um de sete vezes falou sobre o conflito e as crises humanitárias na região, e pediu por paz. Ele frequentemente postou nas redes sociais sobre crianças mortas em ataques aéreos israelenses em Gaza e pediu um cessar-fogo.

A ceasefire agreement reached last year has halted major combat operations in Gaza, but the amount of aid reaching the territory continues to fall far short of the agreed-upon minimum of 600 trucks a day.

Israeli forces have continued to advance, expanding their control from 53% of the territory to at least 60%, an independent commission of UN experts said last month.

View image in fullscreenLewis Hamilton (in black) listens to an Egyptian Red Crescent official during a visit to a logistics centre in Al-Arish. Photograph: Mohammed Arafat/APAirstrikes also continue, and Israeli fire along the advancing front has killed at least 196 Palestinians, including 18 women, 32 boys and 11 girls, the commission said.

Hamilton toured Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with Gaza before visiting logistics warehouses operated by the Egyptian Red Crescent, which facilitates the entry of aid to Gaza.

At the crossing, Hamilton greeted aid workers with “Assalamu alaikum” a widely used Arabic greeting meaning “peace be upon you.” He shook hands and briefly spoke to workers and officials.

Khaled Megawer, governador do Norte do Sinai, onde fica Rafah, disse que a visita tinha como objetivo ajudar Hamilton a conhecer os esforços do Egito para enviar ajuda à Gaza.

A visita ocorre depois que Hamilton fez sua 400ª partida de corrida no domingo, no Grande Prêmio de São Paulo, em Interlagos.

The first black F1 driver, he made his debut with McLaren in 2007. He is only the second F1 driver to start 400 races after his former teammate Fernando Alonso, who achieved the milestone in 2024.