RAFAH CROSSING, Egypt (AP) — Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton arrived at Egypt’s Rafah on Tuesday to visit organizations sending humanitarian aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Hamilton has
spoken out about humanitarian crises and conflict zones in the region, calling for peace. He has frequently posted on social media about children killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and called for a ceasefire. He has also addressed other conflicts.
“I think we need to make sure we’re pushing to free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine. I think there’s a lot of peace that I’m hoping we get to at some stage,” Hamilton said last month.
While a ceasefire agreement reached last year has halted major combat operations, aid going into Gaza continues to fall far short of the agreed upon minimum of 600 trucks a day.
Israeli forces have continued to advance into Gaza, expanding their control from 53% of the territory to at least 60%, an independent commission of U.N. ex perts said last month. Israeli airstrikes continue across Gaza, 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 aid entry into Gaza.
At the crossing, Hamilton greeted aid workers with “Al-Salamo Alaykom,” an Arabic greeting meaning “peace be upon you.” He shook hands and briefly spoke with workers and officials.
Khaled Megawer, the governor of North Sinai, where Rafah is located, said the visit aims to help Hamilton learn about Egypt’s efforts to send aid to Gaza.
The visit comes after Hamilton made his 400th race start on Sunday at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos.
Hamilton, the first Black driver to race in F1, made his debut with McLaren in 2007. He is only the second driver in F1 to start 400 races following his former teammate Fernando Alonso, who achieved the milestone in 2024.
