Lewis Hamilton visits Egypt’s Rafah crossing and Gaza aid facilities
Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has visited Egypt's Rafah border crossing with Gaza to meet humanitarian organizations sending aid to the territory.
The British racing driver greeted aid workers with 'Assalamu alaikum,' a traditional Arabic greeting meaning 'peace be upon you,' during his visit to the crucial crossing point. Hamilton also toured logistics warehouses operated by the Egyptian Red Crescent, which facilitates aid entry into Gaza.
Humanitarian Crisis
Despite a ceasefire agreement that halted major combat operations in Gaza last year, the amount of aid entering the strip remains far below the agreed minimum of 600 trucks daily. Israeli forces have expanded their control from 53% to at least 60% of the territory, according to UN experts.
Airstrikes and Israeli fire along the advancing front have killed at least 196 Palestinians, including 18 women, 32 boys and 11 girls, the commission reported.
Advocacy Record
Hamilton has frequently spoken out about conflict and humanitarian crises in the region, posting on social media about children killed in Israeli airstrikes and calling for peace. 'I think we need to make sure we're pushing to free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine,' Hamilton said last month.
I think there's a lot of peace that I'm hoping we get to at some stage.
Racing Milestone
The visit comes after Hamilton made his 400th race start at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday. As the first black F1 driver, he debuted with McLaren in 2007 and is only the second driver to reach 400 races after his former teammate Fernando Alonso.
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