On the sidelines of the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton publicly expressed his outrage at the humanitarian catastrophe that has been raging in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The British driver, who has been deeply committed to issues of social justice, racial equality, and human rights for years, has this time taken a stand on one of the deadliest conflicts in the Middle East in recent decades.
'Total devastation': Lewis Hamilton's reaction on Instagram
In a story published yesterday on his Instagram account, followed by more than 40 million followers, Lewis Hamilton shared a series of photos and graphics from reports by humanitarian organizations and the UN, illustrating the scale of the crisis in Gaza. Accompanying the images, he wrote: “I feel utter devastation seeing what is happening in Gaza. Children are dying of hunger, families are trapped under rubble, civilians are deprived of water, medical care, and shelter. Humanitarian organizations can no longer even access these people to provide assistance. We cannot remain silent. There is no justification for this.”
"The silence and inaction of the international community will be judged by history and by future generations.", he added.
The British driver then called on his fans to donate to NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières, UNICEF, the International Red Cross, and the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, saying that “every gesture counts.”
A humanitarian context of extreme gravity
Since the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1 dead according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Israel has been waging a massive military offensive in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, more than 139 people have been killed since the conflict began, the majority of them women and children.
The UN has repeatedly warned that the situation in Gaza is now "catastrophic"The World Food Programme reported in June 2025 that more than one million people are facing acute famine, particularly in the north of the enclave. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres spoke of a "death zone" where “Humanitarian aid is almost impossible to get through”.
A humanitarian “tactical pause” deemed insufficient
On the night of July 26-27, the Israeli army announced a “daily tactical break” in some areas of southern Gaza (notably around Rafah) to allow the passage of humanitarian aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing. However, many NGOs, including Human Rights Watch and Oxfam, have criticized these measures as “symbolic and insufficient” in the face of the scale of the needs.
Lewis Hamilton, an influential voice in world sport
This isn't the first time Lewis Hamilton has used his platform to speak out against injustice: in 2020, he took a strong stand against police violence in the United States and supported the Black Lives Matter movement, going so far as to wear a t-shirt. “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” during an F1 podium.
His statement on Gaza is one of the first major public gestures in the world of high-level sport in several months, while the majority of the paddock and major international sporting bodies are avoiding taking a position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for fear of political controversy.
