Lewis Hamilton visited Egypt's Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. He met organisations sending humanitarian aid into the territory, the Guardian reported. Al Jazeera also reported the visit.
The seven-time Formula One world champion toured the crossing first. He then visited logistics warehouses run by the Egyptian Red Crescent, which helps aid enter Gaza. At the crossing, Hamilton greeted aid workers with "Assalamu alaikum", an Arabic greeting meaning "peace be upon you". He shook hands and spoke briefly with workers and officials.
Rafah lies in North Sinai. The province's governor, Khaled Megawer, said the visit was meant to help Hamilton learn about Egypt's efforts to send aid to Gaza.
Hamilton has spoken out about conflict and humanitarian crises in the region and has called for peace. According to the Guardian, he often posts on social media about children killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. He has also called for a ceasefire. In October, he said: "I think we need to make sure we're pushing to free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine."
A ceasefire agreement reached last year halted major combat operations in Gaza. But aid deliveries still fall far short of the agreed minimum of 600 trucks a day, the Guardian reported. Last month, an independent commission of UN experts said Israeli forces had expanded their control from 53% of the territory to at least 60%. The commission said Israeli fire along the advancing front had killed at least 196 Palestinians. They include 18 women, 32 boys and 11 girls.
The visit came two days after Hamilton made his 400th race start on Sunday, at the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos. He is only the second F1 driver to reach that mark, after his former teammate Fernando Alonso. Hamilton, the first black F1 driver, made his debut with McLaren in 2007.