Latest news with #Yousaf
The National
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Humza Yousaf urges Gaza action after family member killed
Speaking on Sky News on Tuesday, the former First Minister was asked to discuss the genocide in Gaza, where he revealed that a relative was shot by Israeli forces as he collected flour from an aid point. 'It's impossible for me to put it into words,' Yousaf said. '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. READ MORE: Israel 'threatens to stop aid flights if media film Gaza from the sky' '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.' Yousaf was visibly upset as he felt he had to point out that his in-law was 'not Hamas', nor a 'terrorist'. He described how Israeli forces 'shot him in the stomach' before running over his body with a tank. The former First Minister went on to detail how his father-in-law was 'inconsolable with grief' when he made contact. Councillor Nadia El-Nakla's cousin – whom she wrote about in The National just last week – was mentioned in the interview, with Yousaf saying her children had become 'emaciated' as a result of the forced starvation in Gaza. 'I feel helpless', he said. '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'. READ MORE: SNP and Greens condemn Starmer's conditional stance on Palestine statehood '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.' His comments come as Keir Starmer announced the UK Government would recognise the state of Palestine in September if Israel committed to a two-state solution. Starmer's move has been widely criticised for it's conditional nature, with the SNP and the Scottish Greens both urging that recognition of Palestine must not be 'conditional'.
Daily Record
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Humza Yousaf says family member was 'shot' in Gaza by Israeli forces and ran over by a tank
The former first minister described how his father-in-law's cousin was "shot" by the IDF while trying to get flour to feed his family. 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."
The National
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Humza Yousaf pleads for 'meaningful action' in Gaza
Speaking on Sky News on Tuesday, the former First Minister was asked to discuss the genocide in Gaza, where he revealed that a relative was shot by Israeli forces as he collected flour from an aid point. 'It's impossible for me to put it into words,' Yousaf said. '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. READ MORE: Israel 'threatens to stop aid flights if media film Gaza from the sky' '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.' Yousaf was visibly upset as he felt he had to point out that his in-law was 'not Hamas', nor a 'terrorist'. He described how Israeli forces 'shot him in the stomach' before running over his body with a tank. The former First Minister went on to detail how his father-in-law was 'inconsolable with grief' when he made contact. Councillor Nadia El-Nakla's cousin – whom she wrote about in The National just last week – was mentioned in the interview, with Yousaf saying her children had become 'emaciated' as a result of the forced starvation in Gaza. 'I feel helpless', he said. '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'. READ MORE: SNP and Greens condemn Starmer's conditional stance on Palestine statehood '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.' His comments come as Keir Starmer announced the UK Government would recognise the state of Palestine in September if Israel committed to a two-state solution. Starmer's move has been widely criticised for it's conditional nature, with the SNP and the Scottish Greens both urging that recognition of Palestine must not be 'conditional'.
The Herald Scotland
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Israel meeting could prove the downfall of SNP government
17 October 2023. I am at the SNP National Conference in Aberdeen, notepad in hand. Humza Yousaf is telling the assembled faithful about the plight of his wife's parents, trapped in Gaza in the wake of the 7 October attacks. That day, Mr Yousaf says: 'We are absolutely clear that the life of a Palestinian is equal to the life of an Israeli. It is right for the world to condemn the actions of Hamas – unequivocally. 'But any form of collective punishment, as we are seeing in Gaza, can never be justified. 2.2m innocent people cannot pay the price for the actions of Hamas.' Indeed, talk of the ongoing conflict, and Mr Yousaf's personal connection, dominates conversation among the press corp and attendees. Mr Yousaf and Nadia el-Nakla pictured at the conference in Aberdeen. (Image: PA) Since assuming the premiership in May 2024, John Swinney has tweeted about [[Gaza]] two dozen times, condemning the 'intolerable' and 'unimaginable' humanitarian suffering caused by the [[Israel]]i invasion. All this to say, the Scottish Government's position on [[Israel]] and Palestine has been clear, at least publicly. Yet, reporting by The Ferret on Sunday laid bare a much different approach, one in which Scottish Government representatives and Israeli diplomats discussed bilateral meetings. A month after Mr Swinney took office, a government official emailed the Israel embassy looking to set up a meeting between the First Minister and ambassador Tzipi Hotovely. And on 8 August, cabinet secretary Angus Robertson met with deputy ambassador Daniela Grudsky. According to The Ferret, minutes from the meeting state: 'The Scottish Government's position remained that the Palestinian people had the right to self-determination and that a secure Israel should be able to live in peace and security. There was value in dialogue between Scotland and Israel as critical friends.' 'Critical friends'? Such a declaration no doubt comes as a surprise to members of the SNP who regularly champion the party's rhetoric on [[Gaza]], especially in the UK Parliament. If the [[SNP]] continues to waffle, don't be shocked if they bleed enough progressive support in 2026 to tip the balance of power to Labour and Anas Sarwar. Already, some voters have been turned off by Mr Swinney's middle-of-the-road approach to independence and close ties to socially conservative Kate Forbes. Read more: In a statement, Mr Robertson told The Ferret that increasingly extreme rhetoric by Israeli politicians and mounting deaths at aid centres were 'abhorrent' and as such, 'the Scottish Government is unequivocal that it would not be appropriate to meet with the Israeli Government.' Yet, on the day he met with Ms Grudsky, 8 August 2024, two schools housing refugees were struck by Israeli munitions, according to Al Jazeera. 15 people were killed and dozens were injured. And by the end of August, according to the United Nations, citing the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, more than 40,000 Palestinians had been killed and 1.9m had been displaced from their homes. One might ask Mr Robertson what changed between August 2024 and now to warrant the government's 'unequivocal' stance. The answer, like that of a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, has less to do with the number of civilian casualties and more to do with the embarrassment of being found to have rolled out the red carpet for a state which is hated by the governing party's staunchest supporters.
STV News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- STV News
Humza Yousaf says Israel is starving wife's family in Gaza
Former first minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf has said Israel is starving his wife's family in Gaza. In a video the couple shared on Instagram, they said Nadia El-Nakla's cousin, her husband and their children are being 'starved' while food and aid are 'mere kilometres away'. 'My cousin Sally and her four children are starving,' El-Nakla, an SNP councillor in Dundee, said. 'My aunt Hanan, her children and grandchildren, including a seven-month-old baby, are being starved.' 'Yesterday my family's town Deir al-Balah was hit hard and starving people were being forced to run while being shot and bombed.' Getty Images The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has begun a ground operation targeting Deir al-Balah, the main hub for humanitarian efforts in Gaza. On Monday, the UK and 24 other nations including France, Canada and Australia urged Israel to lift restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza. They condemned the current aid delivery model, backed by the Israeli and American governments, which has reportedly resulted in IDF troops firing on Palestinian civilians in search of food on multiple occasions. 'This is a deliberate starvation of the Palestinian people,' El-Nakla said. 'Food and water are a mere kilometres away. This form of warfare is sickening, and the stories and images from my family and millions of others in Gaza are absolutely gut-wrenching.' Yousaf said: 'Governments might stay silent, they may refuse to act, but we won't.' The former first minister appeared beside his wife in the video and said Sally and her family are 'one of millions' starving in Gaza. 'Her husband goes out all day searching for food, often coming home with nothing. When I say home, I mean a tent in almost 40-degree heat,' Yousaf said. In Gaza, Yousaf said doctors are becoming 'too weak to treat patients', and journalists 'too weak' to report their starvation. 'For the sake of humanity, find your conscience and open the borders, and do it now.' More than 100 aid agencies have warned that 'mass starvation' is spreading across Gaza as Israel is accused of not allowing enough food, and other supplies, into the area. Desperation is mounting in the Palestinian territory of more than two million, which experts say is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and nearly two-year offensive. Israel said on Tuesday that 950 lorries worth of aid were waiting in Gaza for international organisations to distribute. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Hamas, the proscribed terrorist group which controls Gaza, of stealing the food for itself. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
