Lewis Hamilton calls on Israel to open Rafah crossing for Gaza aid, Digi Mart USA News: Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has called on Israel to reopen the Rafah crossing to allow humanitarian supplies into Gaza from Egypt. He made the appeal as conditions worsened for Palestinians after heavy rains flooded makeshift camps.
The remarks came on Wednesday, a day after the British F1 driver visited Egypt’s northern city of el-Arish, which borders Gaza. There he toured a storage facility where the Egyptian Red Crescent had prepared boxes of aid for Palestinians in the besieged enclave.
In a social media post, Hamilton said, “People in Gaza and Palestine are in such urgent need that they could hardly need this aid more than they do right now.” He added, “That’s why we really need to put pressure on Israel and work together to make sure this aid reaches them.”
Hamilton said warehouses storing essential supplies exist in several locations, but the supplies are not reaching Palestinians who need them because of the border closure. A post on his Instagram page showed him meeting volunteers and workers for the Egyptian Red Crescent, as well as stationary trucks loaded with food waiting to cross the border.
“The past three years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza is appalling,” Hamilton said. “It’s an injustice for people to being denied their freedom, their safety and their dignity.
No human being should be treated as though their life matters less.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected accusations that Israel has been delaying the entry of winter supplies into the Gaza Strip. The United Nations said on Wednesday that more than 150,000 tents bought by humanitarian partners and member states are waiting outside the Gaza Strip for Israeli permission to enter.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said on Wednesday that waiting for a new Israeli government to form is “not an acceptable excuse” for delays in getting essential winter supplies into Gaza.
