Lewis Hamilton’s emotional encounter with Gaza’s children ‘broke his heart’

Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton admitted that meeting the children of Gaza and hearing about their traumas broke his heart.

The 41-year-old British superstar did not head for the nearest beach or five-star resort when F1 got a rare week off after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix last weekend.

To his great credit, instead he made the trip to Egypt to learn more about the humanitarian efforts being made to provide aid in Gaza.

Hamilton first launched a scathing attack on what he saw as he wrote: "The past three years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza is appalling.

"It’s an injustice for people to being denied their freedom, their safety and their dignity. No human being should be treated as though their life matters less.

"I saw walls stretching for miles, built to keep them in. Standing there, outside what felt like an open-air prison, all I could think about was getting in to help."

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Hamilton meets children evacuated from Gaza

After witnessing first hand the difficulties involved with getting aid to those who most need it, Hamilton then met some of the Palestinian children evacuated from Gaza.

He recounted the meeting in a heartfelt message on his social media channels, and clearly he had been moved by what he had seen and heard.

"Meeting some of the Palestinian children evacuated from Gaza and supported by @‌inaraorg in Egypt broke my heart," he began.

"Beautiful, bright children who have faced trauma, grief and horrendous injuries, things no child should ever have to endure. Some have been shot or badly burned in attacks and are still facing a complicated road towards recovery.

"But what really struck me was how resilient they were and how much joy they seem to find in each other.

"When I asked about their dreams, they spoke about becoming teachers and doctors so they could help others, the way they were helped. After everything they’ve been through, they still imagine a future caring for other people. That has stayed with me.

"I met children at school, in hospital and at a mental health clinic helping them work through their trauma. I also went into families’ homes and listened to their stories of recovery and being separated from loved ones - their children, their parents, their siblings. The pain of that separation and uncertainty is hard to comprehend."

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Lewis thinks of the children left behind

Having met these children, Hamilton could not help but imagine what the children left in Gaza are currently going through.

He continued: "Their stories made me think about the children still in Gaza, who are living in terrible conditions. According to reports, more than 21,500 children have been killed and 45,000 injured since October 2023. Every one of them had a home and a future. We can’t forget them.

"These children are no different from yours. Their lives are just as precious. They should be able to feel safe in a classroom with friends, be with their families and imagine a future.

"I’m so grateful the young people I met are getting the help they need, but it’s heartbreaking that they’ve had to leave their homes to find safety.

Hamilton urges support for INARA

"Thank you to the truly incredible Dr Hazem and his wonderful team at INARA for helping these children access medical care, mental health support and education, for supporting their families, and for letting me spend time with them.

"They deserve more than survival. They deserve the freedom to grow up. To dream beyond what they’ve lived through. To simply be children.

"Let’s do what we can to help, support organisations like INARA, use our voices and let them know we care."

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Written by

Graham Shaw - Consultant Editor

Digital sports leader with 30 years of senior level experience running global brands. Built sportinglife.com to be a behemoth in the UK as well as being in charge of the Planet Sport network of sites including planetf1.com, football365.com, teamtalk.com and planetrugby.com. Then grew goal.com to be the world's biggest soccer website in 18 languages and 37 territories. Was GM of Portals for Perform Group (now DAZN) with overall responsibility for sportingnews.com, spox.de and voetbalzone.nl.

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