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In-laws of Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf in an undated photo
Photo: Family Handout / dpa
Scotland's Prime Minister Humza Yousaf has strongly condemned the Hamas attack. At the same time, he warned that innocent civilians on both sides would suffer the most from the attack and the Israeli response. This is now also evident in Yousaf's immediate relatives.
His parents-in-law are currently in the Gaza Strip and cannot leave the country. Now the mother-in-law has asked for international help in a video. "We don't have electricity, we don't have water," Elizabeth El-Nakla said in a video published by The Times. The few foods we have will not be enough because there is no electricity, and they will spoil," El-Nakla said. I ask the world to help the Palestinians." She was in the house with four young grandchildren, including a two-month-old baby.
Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla, the parents of Yousaf's wife, Nadia El-Nakla, had traveled to the Gaza Strip to visit relatives last week before Hamas' terror attack on Israel. Since Israel sealed off the area in response to the attack, they are now stuck in the town of Deir al-Balah with Maged El-Naklas' sick mother and her family. The U.S. government is in talks with Israel and Egypt to open a crossing for civilians to leave the Gaza Strip.
Yousaf's wife told the BBC that her mother hadn't slept since Monday. "They're just scared, absolutely terrified of what's going to come and what's happening right now, as we're talking," Nadia El-Nakla said. "It terrifies me that I'll never see her again." Since the beginning of the Israeli air strikes, the houses of her aunt and cousin have been destroyed.
Yousaf had already said on Tuesday that despite the best efforts of the British Foreign Office, no one could guarantee safe passage for his parents-in-law. He now fears for her life. His brother-in-law, whose family also included young children, also lives there. The supplies were only enough for a few days.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) politician said he strongly condemned the Hamas terror attack. However, his family is now in danger of suffering from a "collective punishment" that cannot be justified. Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip following the Hamas terror attack. There will be no electricity, no food and no fuel, Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant had announced.
Yousaf was elected Scottish First Minister in March, succeeding Nicola Sturgeon. He has Pakistani roots and is the first practising Muslim to hold this office.
ulz/dpa/Reuters