Angelina Jolie Calls Aid Delays 'Costing Lives' During Rafah Crossing Visit Amid Israel NGO Ban

Angelina Jolie delivered a blistering warning at the Gaza border on Friday, declaring that aid delays are 'costing lives' after witnessing warehouses stacked with blocked medical supplies during a visit to the Rafah crossing, as Israel simultaneously moved to suspend dozens of humanitarian organisations operating in Gaza.

The actress and former UN special envoy toured the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, the sole gateway between Gaza's 2.3 million residents and the outside world, where she came face to face with what she described as a humanitarian bottleneck choking off life-saving assistance.

'Every day of disruption costs lives,' Jolie said in a statement following the visit, according to CNN.

Warehouse of Denied Medical Aid

During the tour, Jolie walked through a large warehouse filled with aid denied entry into Gaza, the majority of it medical equipment.

'I walked through a large warehouse that was full of items that were denied entry, most of them medical,' she said, as quoted by CNN.

Aid workers told her that thousands of trucks remain stranded, unable to cross into Gaza despite desperate need. A Red Crescent volunteer said there are 'thousands of aid trucks just waiting' at the crossing, France 24 reported.

Jolie met with Egyptian Red Crescent volunteers and truck drivers ferrying supplies, as well as humanitarian agencies struggling to navigate what she described as growing restrictions and operational barriers.

Visit Comes as Israel Suspends Aid Groups

Jolie's visit came at a politically charged moment.

Earlier this week, Israel announced it would suspend the operations of dozens of international aid organisations that failed to renew registration under new requirements, including the disclosure of personal details of staff members working in Gaza.

Israel has said the rules are intended to prevent Hamas from exploiting international aid. However, the UN and multiple aid groups have rejected those claims. A US government review earlier this year found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas, contradicting assertions made by both Israel and the US State Department.

The timing of Jolie's visit, as aid agencies face suspension and winter conditions worsen, underscored mounting international alarm over humanitarian access to Gaza.

Winter Storms, Deaths and Collapsing Shelters

Gaza is now facing a brutal winter, with heavy rain, fierce winds and plunging temperatures compounding an already catastrophic humanitarian situation.

According to the Hamas-run Government Media Office in Gaza, at least 20 people have been killed after homes and buildings collapsed as families sought shelter from severe weather. Waterlogged tents have been torn apart by storms, leaving thousands exposed.

CNN reported that damage assessments are ongoing, with roads, hospitals and critical infrastructure affected, while landslides have blocked highways in parts of southern Gaza.

'The Ceasefire Must Hold'

Jolie used the visit to issue an urgent call for sustained and scaled-up humanitarian access.

'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,' she said, according to CNN.

She added that winter supplies and essential medical equipment must move without delay, warning that interruptions are not merely bureaucratic obstacles but life-and-death failures.

International Pressure Mounts

On Friday, Egypt and six other countries, including Saudi Arabia, issued a joint statement urging the international community to pressure Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift constraints on the entry and distribution of essential supplies to Gaza.

North Sinai Governor Khaled Maghawer said the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing remains open, prepared to receive wounded and sick Palestinians for treatment in Egyptian hospitals. Israel, however, has kept the crossing closed on its side.

Israel has said it will only allow Palestinians to leave Gaza until Hamas returns all hostages taken during the 7 October 2023 attacks, noting that the remains of one hostage are still in Gaza.

A Veteran Humanitarian Returns to the Front Line

Jolie, 49, served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency from 2001 to 2012 before becoming a Special Envoy. Her office said she is also meeting Palestinian and Sudanese refugee families in Egypt during the trip.

The Rafah crossing has remained a critical lifeline since the war began, yet access has steadily narrowed. In early December, Israel announced the crossing would only open for Palestinians wishing to leave Gaza, not enter, a claim Egypt swiftly denied approving.

Standing amid blocked aid and mounting deaths, Jolie's message was stark and unambiguous: delay is deadly, and the cost is being paid in human lives.