Scotland’s First Minister has said his parents-in-law are “trapped” in Gaza after visiting family, leaving him worried if they will “make it through the night”.
Yousaf, the leader of the Scottish National Party, said the parents of his wife, Nadia El Nakla, traveled from Dundee to Gaza to see a relative when Hamas launched its deadly attacks.
“I’m in a situation where, frankly, night by night, day by day, 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 with any terror attack — whether they will make it through the night or not,” Yousaf told reporters on Monday, Sky News reported.
The couple went to visit the 92-year-old mother of Mr Yousaf’s father-in-law when the Hamas attack took place.
They have been told by Israeli authorities to leave because “Gaza will effectively be obliterated”, the First Minister said.
“Despite the best efforts of the British Foreign Office, nobody, nobody can guarantee them safe passage anywhere,” Mr Yousaf said.
He added: “I’m worried about my family. There will be many people, including in Scotland’s Jewish community for example, who will be really worried about their family in Israel that have come to harm.
“My thoughts go out to everybody, because innocent civilians have nothing to do with the conflict, they have nothing to do with Hamas terror, have nothing to do with the loss of life and they’re the ones often – innocent people – who are paying the price.”
