Angelina Jolie, the acclaimed Hollywood actress and veteran humanitarian, has undertaken a poignant visit to the Egypt-Gaza border, focusing attention on the plight of injured Palestinians and the critical work of aid agencies.
A Mission of Compassion at the Rafah Crossing
The 50-year-old former special envoy for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) flew to Egypt on Friday. Her destination was the vital Rafah crossing, the primary connection point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. There, she engaged directly with members of the Egyptian Red Crescent and the truck drivers tasked with the perilous job of ferrying humanitarian supplies into the devastated territory.
According to reports from local media on the ground, Jolie's trip had a dual purpose: to visit injured Palestinians who have been medically evacuated from Gaza for treatment in Egypt, and to personally assess the challenges and processes surrounding aid deliveries. She was also seen speaking to journalists at the border, highlighting the ongoing crisis.
A Consistent Pattern of Humanitarian Engagement
This latest mission follows a consistent pattern for Jolie, who has dedicated over two decades to refugee and displacement issues. Notably, just two months prior to this visit, she was spotted in the embattled Ukrainian city of Kherson, a frequent target of Russian forces.
During that visit, local sources reported she toured several medical facilities, including a maternity ward and a children's hospital, drawing global attention to civilians caught in the crossfire. Photographs showed her wearing body armour bearing the patch of the Legacy of War Foundation, a charity aiding those affected by conflict. Other images captured a moment of levity as she played with children in a playroom, still clad in protective gear.
Russian forces continue near-daily strikes on Kherson, with an attack on a children's hospital on October 29 injuring nine people, underscoring the dangerous conditions Jolie faced.
A Decades-Long Commitment to Displaced People
Angelina Jolie's humanitarian credentials are extensive. She served as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador from 2001 to 2012, before taking on the role of Special Envoy until her departure in 2022. In that time, she carried out more than 60 field missions worldwide.
Although she stepped down from the formal UNHCR role to focus on broader human rights work, she has repeatedly returned to Ukraine. In 2022, she visited Lviv, meeting children injured in the Kramatorsk train station missile strike and speaking with displaced families sheltering at the railway station during air raid sirens. That same year, she also met Ukrainian child refugees at the Bambino Gesu paediatric hospital in Rome.
Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Jolie used her Instagram platform to express her concerns, writing: "Like many of you, I'm praying for the people in Ukraine... My focus along with my @refugees colleagues is that everything possible is done to ensure the protection and basic human rights of those displaced."
Her unwavering commitment was formally recognised in 2013 when she received the prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Her visits to both the Gaza border and Ukraine demonstrate a continued, hands-on approach to advocating for civilians in some of the world's most severe conflict zones.
