Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has urged Israel to allow aid trucks into Gaza. The Formula One driver made the demand in an Instagram post a day after he toured the Rafah border crossing in Egypt.
The seven-time world champion arrived in El Arish on Tuesday. He visited the Rafah crossing and the Egyptian Red Crescent’s aid warehouses, where officials briefed him on how they prepare and coordinate aid before it enters Gaza.
After the visit, Hamilton wrote about it to his 44.4 million followers. The post has drawn more than 2.8 million likes.
“The past three years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza is appalling. It’s an injustice for people to be denied their freedom, their safety and their dignity. No human being should be treated as though their life matters less,” the Ferrari driver wrote.
Hamilton said he saw food trucks lined up and ready to cross at the border. Officials regularly hold those trucks up or delay them for long periods, he said. At a nearby logistics centre, he said, authorities had rejected items for “crazy reasons”. The rejected goods included sleeping bags, first-aid kits, medical equipment, wheelchairs and footballs for children.
“Israel needs to fulfil its obligations under the ceasefire and let the aid trucks in. No excuse,” he wrote. “I don’t want us to get used to their suffering. I don’t want us to look away.”
Hamilton, 41, has long supported humanitarian causes. In 2021, he founded Mission 44, a charity that helps young people access education and employment.
On the track, the Briton sits fourth in the drivers’ standings. He trails third-placed George Russell by one point and second-placed Max Verstappen by 18. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has already clinched the world title, becoming the youngest champion in F1 history, with three races left in the season.
The next race takes place in Las Vegas on 21 November. The season then ends in the Middle East, with back-to-back races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
