Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton met humanitarian groups at Egypt’s border with Gaza on Tuesday, touring the Rafah crossing and aid warehouses run by the Egyptian Red Crescent.

Hamilton greeted aid workers with “Assalamu alaikum”, Arabic for “peace be upon you”, before shaking hands and chatting briefly with staff and officials, reported Associated Press.

North Sinai governor Khaled Megawer, whose province includes Rafah, said the trip was designed to show Hamilton how Egypt is working to get aid into the territory.

The Red Crescent facilitates deliveries into Gaza from its logistics centre in Al-Arish, which Hamilton visited after the border crossing.

Hamilton has repeatedly urged peace in the region and used social media to highlight children killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, calling for a ceasefire.

“I think we need to make sure we’re pushing to free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine. I think there’s a lot of peace that I’m hoping we get to at some stage,” Hamilton said in October.

The 41-year-old British driver is an advocate for humanitarian and charitable causes.

In 2021, he founded Mission 44, a charity aimed at supporting young people and improving access to education and employment opportunities. He has also backed humanitarian and relief initiatives and efforts to support people affected by conflict.

Hamilton arrived in Egypt days after making his 400th Formula One start at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday.

Debuting with McLaren in 2007, he is only the second to reach 400 starts. Former teammate Fernando Alonso got there in 2024.