During a visit to Egypt’s Arish city and the Rafah border crossing, Angelina Jolie met aid workers and reviewed humanitarian efforts for Gaza as thousands of aid trucks remain stalled.
US actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie on Friday reiterated her support for Palestinians during a visit to Egypt’s Arish city and the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, where she reviewed sites linked to humanitarian aid deliveries for Gaza.
Egyptian state-run Al-Ahram cited Jolie as saying that she was “honored” to meet humanitarian aid volunteers at the crossing. She was accompanied by a US delegation and welcomed by former and current Egyptian officials.
According to Agence France-Presse, journalists reported that Jolie also spoke with members of the Egyptian Red Crescent and truck drivers transporting humanitarian assistance. One Red Crescent volunteer told the Oscar-winning actress and former UN Special Envoy for Refugees that “there are thousands of aid trucks just waiting” at the crossing to deliver urgent assistance to Gaza’s 2.2 million residents.
🇪🇬 🇵🇸 Angelina Jolie visits Egyptian side of Rafah crossing to Gaza
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has 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.… pic.twitter.com/e2TEyWwBnF
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 2, 2026
Local media said the visit aimed to assess the condition of injured Palestinians transferred to Egypt and to review aid delivery mechanisms into the devastated enclave. Neither Jolie nor Egyptian authorities have officially commented on the visit.
The Rafah border crossing was due to reopen under a ceasefire in effect in Gaza since October, but has so far remained closed. In a joint statement issued on Friday, 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 Rafah would be opened only for those wishing to leave Gaza, a move that Cairo swiftly denied approving.
🇵🇸 Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to oversee humanitarian support efforts and express solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
Read more: https://t.co/fU7cxvHxuD pic.twitter.com/uEVFOXCATY
— Roya News English (@RoyaNewsEnglish) January 2, 2026
Jolie 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 focus on broader humanitarian work.
During her tour of the governorate, Jolie inspected logistics warehouses designated to support Palestinians in Gaza and reviewed Egypt’s efforts to receive and distribute humanitarian aid. She reportedly announced plans to establish a relief village for orphaned children in Gaza, intended to provide shelter, healthcare, education, and psychological support.
She said the project aims to offer a safe haven for children who lost family members in Israeli attacks, stressing that Gaza’s children deserve life and hope like all children worldwide.
(PC, Anadolu, AFP, Egyptian media)
