Actor Angelina Jolie visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into Gaza on Friday, accompanied by an American delegation. Officials greeted the Hollywood icon and former special envoy for the UN refugee agency, and she spoke with humanitarian workers and volunteers. 

Local media reported that the purpose of the visit was to meet with injured Palestinians receiving care in Egypt and to look into aid deliveries into Gaza. The Associated Press reported that Jolie spoke with patients in a hospital in the nearby city of Arish. 

At Rafah, Jolie met with members of the humanitarian aid nonprofit Red Crescent and with truck drivers responsible for ferrying humanitarian aid into Gaza. The Oscar winner said she was "honored" to meet the volunteers. 

The Rafah border crossing was set to reopen under the ceasefire in effect in Gaza since October, but has so far remained closed. In a joint statement on Friday, Egypt and six other countries, including Saudi Arabia, "urged the international community to pressure Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift the constraints on the entry and distribution of essential supplies" to Gaza.

In early December, Israel announced that the Rafah crossing would be opened only for those wishing to leave Gaza, prompting Cairo to swiftly deny that it had approved such a move. Egypt is opposed to Palestinian refugees settling within its borders.

Israel has said it will only allow Palestinians to exit Gaza, not enter, until Hamas militants in the territory return all hostages taken on October 7, 2023. The remains of one hostage are still in Gaza.

Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began, 416 people have been killed and 1,142 wounded in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. The overall Palestinian death toll from the war is at least 71,271.

Jolie, one of Hollywood's most iconic figures, stepped down from her role as special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency at the end of 2022 after more than 20 years of service, saying she wanted to work on broader humanitarian issues. The actor met with refugees in Yemen and missile attack survivors in Ukraine in 2022.