Angelina Jolie, the actress and former special envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency, visited the Rafah Crossing on Friday as part of a humanitarian trip to Egypt, according to a statement from Jolie’s representatives.
Her visit comes as Israel said it will suspend the operations of dozens of aid groups working in the Gaza Strip.
“I spoke to humanitarian agencies who are working hard to do their best to overcome the restrictions and challenges of delivering necessary aid into Gaza. I walked through a large warehouse that was full of items that were denied entry, most of them medical, Jolie said in a statement.
Earlier this week, Israel said it will suspend the operations of international aid groups that did not renew their registration, which includes requiring organizations working in Gaza to provide personal details of their staff members.
Aid agencies have repeatedly voiced concerns over those requirements, citing the safety of their employees.
Israel’s move comes as 10 countries warned that Gaza’s humanitarian situation is facing “renewed deterioration” and that conditions in the enclave “remain catastrophic.”
Israel said its registration rules are to prevent Hamas from exploiting international aid, a claim the UN and aid groups have rejected. A US government review earlier this year found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas, claims both Israel and the US State Department have made.
Gaza, which lies in ruins, is enduring a harsh winter, with heavy rain and plunging temperatures worsening already dire living conditions.
Fierce rain and strong winds have destroyed the flimsy, waterlogged tents many Palestinians are forced to survive in, and at least 20 people have been killed by homes and buildings collapsing as they sought shelter from the severe weather conditions, according to the Hamas-run Government Media Office in Gaza (GMO).
During her visit, Jolie met with aid workers from the Egyptian Red Crescent and other local organizations to discuss how to provide additional aid to Gaza.
“What needs to happen is clear: the ceasefire must hold, and access must be sustained, safe and urgently scaled up so that aid, fuel and critical medical supplies can move quickly and consistently, at the volume required,” Jolie said in a statement.
“Winter items and essential medical equipment should move without delay. Every day of disruption costs lives,” she continued.
Jolie expressed gratitude to the volunteers working to provide humanitarian assistance.
She is also meeting Palestinian and Sudanese refugee families in Egypt, her office said.
