Angelina Jolie Highlights Gaza Destruction, Urges Aid

Hollywood actress and director Angelina Jolie has publicly decried the destruction in Gaza, sharing satellite imagery that contrasts the city of Rafah before and after the current conflict. In a social media post that garnered nearly a million views, Jolie directed her followers to digital maps, stating, "Now you can open Google Earth and see what has been done to Gaza." With over 20 years of humanitarian work, including past roles as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and Special Envoy, Jolie detailed the extensive damage to infrastructure, citing UN data. She noted that "entire neighborhoods have been turned into rubble. Homes, schools, universities, hospitals, roads, water and sanitation systems, and infrastructure that people depended on to survive have been damaged or destroyed."

Jolie warned of an impending crisis as temperatures drop, highlighting that "as winter approaches, 1.98 million people, representing 94% of Gaza's population, need urgent assistance with shelter and essential supplies, while the entry of aid and shelter equipment continues to face restrictions and delays." The actress, who visited the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side in January to observe aid convoys, emphasized that while aerial photos clearly show the physical devastation, they cannot convey the lived experience of those affected, including families killed and the struggles of survivors.

Concluding her remarks, Jolie called on the international community to act urgently to increase supplies and lay the groundwork for reconstruction. "What happens now is important. People need shelter before winter. Humanitarian aid must reach civilians in the required scope. Hospitals need medical equipment," she stated. She asserted, "The destruction is visible. The needs are known. What is important now is whether they will be met."