Humza Yousaf says family member was 'shot' in Gaza by Israeli forces and ran over by a tank
Humza Yousaf has revealed how a member of his extended family was recently killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
The former first minister, whose wife Nadia has relatives living across the Palestinian enclave, described how his father-in-law's cousin was "shot" by the IDF while trying to get flour to feed his family.
A visibly upset Yousaf said the man, who was in his 40s and a father-of-two, was "shot in the stomach" before his body was ran over by a tank. In a moving interview with Sky News, he urged Keir Starmer to take more "meaningful action" to help bring to an end the Israeli military's brutal takeover of Gaza.
It comes after Keir Starmer's announcement that Britain will recognise Palestinian statehood is a major change in UK foreign policy. The PM offered to postpone recognition if Israel took "substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution."
But critics say the position is too weak and the UK must offer Palestine immediate recognition.
Asked what his relatives were experiencing in Gaza, Yousaf told Sky News: "It's impossible for me to put it into words. Yesterday, we received some very sad news that my father-in-law's cousin – who is only a few years older than me, and has two children – was killed by the Israeli forces trying to get flour.
'His family begged him not to go to get food, but he couldn't bare to see his family starving, so he went go get flour.'
A visibly upset Yousaf was visibly upset as repeated that his in-law was not a Hamas member and not a "terrorist".
"I feel helpless," the MSP added. "Choked with pain when I think of [how] they're in pain. How can we possibly imagine what a Gazan mother or father must be going through, when they themselves are starving and watching their children become skeletons?
Yousaf pleaded with people to think about Gaza 'as a father, a mother, or just a human being'.
'We must do everything in our gift to stop this atrocity. That's why I plead with the Prime Minister – and I use that word, I plead with the Prime Minister – to take meaningful action.
'Sanctions, end all arms sales to Israel. Not necessarily for geopolitical reasons, but because I want to see an end to the inhumanity we're all witnessing."
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