Lewis Hamilton urges Gaza aid access after visit to Rafah crossing

Lewis Hamilton has called on Israel to allow aid trucks into Gaza after visiting the Rafah border crossing in Egypt, according to a report published by The Guardian on Thursday. The seven-time Formula One world champion made the appeal on Instagram on Wednesday, following a Tuesday tour of the crossing and facilities involved in preparing humanitarian supplies.

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The Ferrari driver arrived in El Arish and received a briefing on how aid is assembled and coordinated before being sent into Gaza. His visit included the Egyptian Red Crescent's warehouses, where he met workers and officials. Hamilton said he saw trucks carrying food waiting at the border and spoke to a driver who had already been there for more than 12 hours.

In his account of the visit, Hamilton said shipments were repeatedly prevented from entering or subjected to lengthy delays. He also described seeing items rejected at a nearby logistics centre, including medical equipment, first-aid kits, sleeping bags, wheelchairs and footballs. Those details were presented as Hamilton's observations in the Instagram post quoted by The Guardian. He urged Israel to meet its ceasefire obligations and permit the trucks to enter.

Hamilton described Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide and condemned the denial of freedom, safety and dignity to Palestinians. Israel strongly denies allegations of genocide and says its military campaign targets Hamas militants. The Guardian reported that a ceasefire agreement reached last year had stopped major combat operations, but that aid deliveries remained well below the agreed minimum of 600 trucks each day.

The visit follows previous public appeals from Hamilton over Gaza, including calls for a ceasefire and social-media posts about children killed in Israeli airstrikes. His humanitarian work also includes Mission 44, the charity he established in 2021 to support young people and improve access to education and employment. In his latest post, he appealed to people not to become accustomed to the suffering in Gaza or turn away from it.

On track, Hamilton is fourth in the drivers' championship, according to The Guardian. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has secured the title with three races remaining. The schedule concludes with the Las Vegas Grand Prix on 21 November, Qatar on 29 November and Abu Dhabi on 6 December.