Israel-Palestine war: Scotland's Humza Yousaf 'sick with worry' for in-laws trapped in Gaza
Scotland’s first minister and Scottish National Party leader Humza Yousaf has revealed that his parents-in-law are “trapped” in Gaza, amid four consecutive days of Israeli air strikes on the besieged enclave.
His announcement comes as the BBC reported that 10 Britons were feared dead or missing following an unprecedented assault on Saturday by Hamas in southern Israel.
Israeli forces have retaliated with a relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which has killed hundreds so far and levelled entire residential areas.
Yousaf, whose wife, Nadia el-Nakla, is of Palestinian heritage, reported that her parents Elizabeth and Maged were visiting family in Gaza when the Hamas assault took place and did not know “if they would make it through the night”.
According to Yousaf, the Israeli authorities had instructed them to leave as "Gaza would effectively be turned into rubble" but “they cannot guarantee a safe passage to any of the borders".
Stay informed with MEE's newsletters
Sign up to get the latest alerts, insights and analysis, starting with Turkey Unpacked
"We cannot sleep - we are constantly watching our phones. When our messages do get through, we're waiting for a reply,” Yousaf said.
The Rafah crossing, the sole border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which had previously been open for people from Gaza who needed to enter Egypt to access humanitarian aid, has closed following two Israeli air strikes.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant had earlier announced a complete siege of Gaza, cutting off access to water, electricity, food and fuel.
Yousaf reported that due to power outages, communication with his family was sporadic. The last message he received from them said that they only had enough supplies for two days.
They also expressed concerns that they would not have enough baby formula for their two-month-old grandchild.
He added that his family has "nothing to do with Hamas" but along with many other Gazans would suffer from "collective punishment", which "cannot be justified".
Israel’s airforce has dropped at least 2,000 munitions and more than 1,000 tonnes of explosives on the besieged area, targeting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, a UN school sheltering displaced people, universities, mosques, markets, banks, telecommunication companies, and residential towers.
So far at least 900 Israelis are confirmed to have been killed, with Hamas and Islamic Jihad claiming to have taken some 130 captives back to Gaza.
At least 700 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory air strikes and there are over 2,500 wounded on each side.
Among the Britons reported to be dead or missing is 20-year-old Nathaniel Young who died near Gaza while serving in the Israeli army.
Jake Marlowe, a 26-year-old from London who was providing security at the Supernova festival at Re’im near Gaza has reportedly been missing since Saturday morning.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
