Scottish First Minister’s In-Laws Trapped in Gaza Amid Israeli Siege

In a harrowing revelation amidst the escalating Middle East crisis, Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf shared that his Palestinian in-laws are trapped in Gaza following the Israeli declaration of a “complete siege” and ongoing airstrikes.

Speaking to LBC Radio‘s Scotland Political Editor, Gina Davidson, Yousaf voiced his “unequivocal condemnation” of the attack by Hamas on Saturday.

“First and foremost let me put on record the government’s condemnation of the terror attack by Hamas, that unequivocal condemnation,” he said, expressing distress over the loss of innocent lives in the conflict. “Whether those innocent lives are Israeli, or are innocent lives of Palestinians being lost, it’s heartbreaking to see.”

Highlighting the personal dimension of the crisis, Yousaf detailed his family’s predicament: “My wife is Palestinian. Her mum and dad, my in-laws, who live in Dundee, live in Scotland, they’ve been in Gaza, are currently trapped in Gaza,” he stated.

The trip to Gaza was initially for Yousaf’s father-in-law to visit his frail 92-year-old mother. However, the siege has made their return uncertain.

Yousaf expressed deep concerns for his in-laws’ safety, sharing the chilling words of Israeli authorities who hinted at grave actions in Gaza, “They’re being told by the Israeli authorities to leave Gaza because Gaza will effectively be obliterated. But they’ve got nowhere to go.”

Despite efforts from the British Foreign Office, no safe passage has been guaranteed.

Yousaf poignantly underscored the human side of the conflict, saying, “We don’t know whether or not my mother-in-law and father-in-law, who have nothing to do, as most Gazans don’t, with Hamas or any terror attack, whether they’ll make it through the night or not.”