Lewis Hamilton says ‘Israel’s genocide in Gaza is appalling’ after Rafah visit

Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton said on Wednesday that Israel must allow aid ⁠trucks into Gaza, a day after he visited the Rafah border crossing in Egypt.

Hamilton, a seven-time ⁠world champion, arrived ⁠in ​El Arish on Tuesday, where he was briefed on how aid is prepared and coordinated before it ⁠is sent into Gaza, as he toured the Rafah crossing and the Egyptian Red Crescent’s aid warehouses.

He has frequently posted on social media about children killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and called for a ceasefire. A ceasefire agreement reached last year has halted major combat operations in Gaza, but the amount of aid reaching the territory continues to fall far short of the agreed-upon minimum of 600 trucks a day.

“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 on Instagram.

Israel strongly denies accusations of genocide and says its military campaign in Gaza targets Hamas militants.

Hamilton described seeing food trucks lined up and ready to go at the border that were ‌regularly held up or faced major delays.

“I saw walls stretching for miles, built to keep them in. Standing there, outside what felt like an open-air prison, all I could think about was getting in to help,” he said in the post. “At the Rafah border, I saw food trucks lined up ready to go, but they’re regularly not allowed in or face major delays. The first driver in line that I spoke to had already been waiting over 12 hours. At the nearby logistics centre, I saw the hard work of the aid workers, but I also saw what gets rejected for crazy reasons. Sleeping bags, first aid kits, medical equipment, wheelchairs even footballs for kids.

“Israel needs to fulfil its obligations under the ceasefire and let the aid trucks in. I know so many people feel that same helplessness. That same need to do something rather than just watch. No excuse. I don’t want ⁠us to get used to their suffering. I don’t ​want us to ​look away.”

Hamilton, 41, is an ​advocate for humanitarian causes. In 2021 he founded ​Mission 44, a ‌charity that supports ​young people ​and works to improve their access to education and employment.

“I think we need to make sure we’re pushing to free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine,” Hamilton said last month. “I think there’s a lot of peace that I’m hoping we get to at some stage.”

At the crossing on Tuesday, Hamilton greeted aid workers with “Assalamu alaikum” a widely used Arabic greeting meaning “peace be upon you”. He shook hands and briefly spoke to workers and officials.

Hamilton is fourth in the drivers’ championship. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli has won the title with three races to go. The Las Vegas Grand Prix is 21 November before the Qatar Grand Prix on 29 November and the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 6 December.