Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton has urged Israel to allow aid trucks into Gaza, a day after visiting the Rafah border crossing in Egypt.

Hamilton, 41, arrived in El Arish on Tuesday, where he was briefed on how aid is prepared and coordinated before being sent into Gaza. He toured the Rafah crossing and the Egyptian Red Crescent's aid warehouses, Reuters reported.

He described seeing food trucks lined up and ready to enter Gaza, but said they were regularly held up or faced significant delays. At a nearby logistics centre, he said items had been rejected for "crazy reasons", including sleeping bags, first-aid kits, medical equipment, wheelchairs and footballs for children.

Hamilton's words on Gaza

"Israel needs to fulfil its obligations under the ceasefire and let the aid trucks in. No excuse," the seven-time world champion wrote on Instagram. "I don't want us to get used to their suffering. I don't want us to look away."

In the same post, Hamilton wrote: "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." Israel strongly denies accusations of genocide and says its military campaign in Gaza targets Hamas militants.

A harsh winter for Gaza families

The visit comes as Gaza families face a winter of sickness and hardship without shelter, with aid agencies warning that many are still living in tents more than a year into the ceasefire.

Hamilton has long spoken out on humanitarian causes. In 2021 he founded Mission 44, a charity that supports young people and works to improve their access to education and employment. He is fourth in this season's drivers' championship.