Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton visited Egypt’s Rafah crossing on Nov. 10 as aid groups logged more than 26,000 appeals from Gaza households reporting rain damage to shelters or belongings.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said humanitarian partners had received those appeals by Nov. 8. Teams had assessed 1,877 households at that point.
Associated Press photographs show Hamilton speaking at the border with North Sinai’s governor and a member of the Egyptian Red Crescent. Ahram Online reported that the governorate had included the Red Crescent’s aid warehouses in Al-Arish on his planned itinerary.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) says the Egyptian Red Crescent oversees Gaza-bound aid on the Egyptian side, arranging dispatch after shipments have been checked and held in storage.
On Nov. 8, OCHA counted more than 150,000 tents waiting outside Gaza for shipment. Humanitarian partners and U.N. member states had purchased them, and about 117,000 came from the Egyptian Relief Committee in Al-Arish. That committee is separate from the Egyptian Red Crescent.
The EU Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah) said the crossing resumed limited passenger travel in both directions on Feb. 2, 2026. Its announcement concerned travelers; OCHA’s figures concerned shelter supplies still awaiting entry into Gaza.
Ireland has also urged Israel to ease aid restrictions after flooding damaged Gaza shelters.
OCHA said Gaza’s stocks of tents, tarpaulins, blankets and clothing were almost exhausted. It said Israeli approvals and more funding were urgently needed to bring in shelter materials and equipment.
