Lewis Hamilton Rafah Visit Puts Spotlight on Gaza Aid
The seven-time world champion toured the border crossing and met aid workers. He has long called for peace in Gaza and for children caught up in the war.
EL ARISH, Egypt, Nov 11 – Lewis Hamilton visited Egypt’s border with Gaza on Tuesday. His trip to Rafah took the Formula One star to the crossing point and to the Egyptian Red Crescent warehouses that prepare and send humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip
He is a seven-time world champion. And he has spoken out about Gaza for a long time.
Hamilton first flew into El Arish, a city in North Sinai. From there, he toured the Rafah crossing. Then he went to the aid warehouses run by the Egyptian Red Crescent, which helps get aid into Gaza.
At the crossing, he greeted aid workers with “Assalamu alaikum.” It is a common Arabic greeting that means “peace be upon you.” He shook hands with workers and officials and stopped to talk with some of them.
Khaled Megawer is the governor of North Sinai, where Rafah sits. He said the visit was meant to show Hamilton what Egypt is doing to send aid to Gaza. The governor’s office shared details of the trip on its Facebook page.
Hamilton has often posted on social media about children killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza. He has called for a ceasefire. And he has called for peace in other places too.
In October, he named several of them. “Free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine,” Hamilton said.
He said at the time that he hoped peace would come eventually.
This was not the first time he had seen the humanitarian effort firsthand. In December last year, he traveled to Jordan on a trip organized by the British Red Cross, where he met teams from the Jordan and Palestine Red Crescent Societies preparing additional aid for Gaza. He also visited a hospital treating children who had been evacuated from Gaza for medical care.
A ceasefire reached last year has stopped the major fighting in Gaza. But the aid getting in is still far below what was agreed. The deal set a minimum of 600 trucks a day.
And the fighting has not fully stopped. Israeli forces have kept moving forward. They now control at least 60% of Gaza, up from 53%, a commission of independent United Nations experts said last month.
Strikes also go on. Israeli fire along the front line has killed at least 196 Palestinians, the commission said. That includes 18 women, 32 boys and 11 girls.
The Rafah crossing is Gaza’s only border point that does not lead into Israel. It has long been a key route for aid, and a point of dispute.
Other well-known figures have made the same trip in the past year. Actor Angelina Jolie visited the Egyptian side of the crossing in January. Two United States senators went there in 2025.
Hamilton’s trip comes just days after a big moment in his racing life. On Sunday, he made his 400th race start, at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil.
He is only the second driver to reach that mark. The first was Fernando Alonso, his former teammate, who did it in 2024.
Hamilton, 41, is British. He made his debut with McLaren in 2007. He was the first Black driver in Formula One.
He now drives for Ferrari. He sits fourth in the drivers’ standings this year. The title has already been won by Mercedes’ Italian driver Kimi Antonelli, with three races left.
Away from the track, Hamilton backs several good causes. In 2021, he set up Mission 44, a charity that helps young people get better access to school and jobs. He has also backed relief work for people hurt by war.
In the past, he has said he gave money to the Palestine Red Crescent, Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children.
He did not make a public statement during Tuesday’s visit, according to the reports so far.
