Desk Correspondent , Gaza - Hollywood actress and former special envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency, Angelina Jolie, visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah Crossing on Friday, January 2, 2026. The visit was part of a humanitarian trip to Egypt aimed at assessing the dire situation in the Gaza Strip. Jolie met with aid workers from the Egyptian Red Crescent and other local organizations to discuss the immense challenges of delivering relief. She also visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish, where she spoke with Palestinian patients and families displaced by the ongoing conflict.

During her visit, Jolie highlighted the severe restrictions currently hampering aid delivery. In a statement, she described walking through a large warehouse filled with supplies that had been denied entry into Gaza, many of which were critical medical items. "What needs to happen is clear: the ceasefire must hold, and access must be sustained, safe, and urgently scaled up," Jolie stated, emphasizing that delays in moving fuel, winter items, and essential medical equipment are costing lives every day. She expressed deep gratitude to the volunteers working under extreme pressure to provide assistance.

Jolie’s visit comes at a critical time as the Israeli government announced the suspension of dozens of international aid organizations that have not complied with new, controversial registration requirements. These rules, which include the submission of personal details for all staff members working in Gaza, have raised significant safety concerns among humanitarian agencies. While Israel maintains these measures are necessary to prevent aid from being diverted by Hamas, over 50 NGOs have warned that such political decisions could paralyze large-scale humanitarian operations and further exacerbate the crisis for Gaza's civilian population.