Scotland’s First Minister Urges UK Government to Push Israel for Ceasefire

Smoke billows from the Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt during an Israeli airstrike on Oct. 10, 2023. Photo by Said Khatib/AFP via Getty Images

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf has urged the UK government to speak with Israel’s leadership and ensure an immediate ceasefire.

Mr. Yousaf, whose parents-in-law are in Gaza on a visit, asked Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to call for a safe passage of civilians through the Rafah border.

The first minister wrote to Mr. Cleverly on Tuesday, condemning the actions of Hamas, a  terrorist group that launched a surprise attack on Israel last week.

He acknowledged the right of Israel to defend itself, but said that “collective punishment of innocent civilians” in Gaza cannot be justified.

In response to the attack, Israel’s government ordered a “complete siege” and cut off all of Gaza’s supplies, including food, fuel and medicine. This has affected around 2 million people living in the Gaza Strip.

The sole remaining access from Egypt was shut on Tuesday, following airstrikes near the border.

Civilians should be allowed a safe passage through the Rafah border, said Mr. Yousaf.

The Israeli government should open “a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to allow supplies, including food, fuel, water and medical supplies, for those civilians who are trapped, helpless and cannot leave,” he said in his letter.

The first minister recalled the message by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who urged all relevant parties to allow the U.N. access to Gaza in order to deliver humanitarian aid.

The Scottish leader called for international partners to work towards a “long-lasting peace that sees Israelis and Palestinians treated as equals.”

Speaking to LBC news on Tuesday, Mr. Yousaf said that his parents-in-law were alive but had just one day’s supplies left and were told to stay indoors.

Elizabeth El-Nakla and Maged El-Nakla, the parents of Mr. Yousaf’s wife, Nadia El-Nakla, live in Scotland but travelled to Gaza for a family visit about a week ago.

“They are being told to leave because we all know what is going to happen to Gaza. But they’ve got nowhere to go,” Mr. Yousaf said.

Mr. Yousaf and his wife are “sick with worry” whether her parents will survive, the SNP leader said.

First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf on May 26, 2023. Robert Perry/PA

The Scottish Government stands ready to assist anyone who “find themselves caught up in this tragic situation,” Mr. Yousaf told the foreign secretary.

Mr. Yousaf’s brother-in-law lives and works as a doctor in Gaza.

Speaking to the Holyrood magazine on Tuesday, Mr. Yousaf said that his brother-in-law has nothing to do with Hamas and yet will face a collective punishment.

“There’s plenty to talk about the geopolitics, of course. But ultimately, what we’re talking about is many innocent people who have lost their lives and will lose their lives. My message very simply is that an Israeli life is equal to a Palestinian life and a Palestinian life is equal to an Israeli life,” Mr. Yousaf said.

Scottish Labour MSP Richard Leonard showed solidarity with the first minister.

“I can’t imagine what you are all going through,” Mr. Leonard said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The UK supports Israel’s right to defend itself “proportionately,” according to Mr. Cleverly. Speaking to the LBC radio, the Foreign Secretary was asked whether the government supports Israel’s “tactics of a siege” of the Gaza Strip.

Mr. Cleverly avoided giving a direct answer but said that “Hamas is no friend of the Palestinian people” and endangered the Gaza civilians through its actions.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Wednesday a death toll of 1,200 in Israel and more than 2,700 wounded.

The IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, said that civilian buildings in Gaza were legitimate targets for air strikes after Hamas terrorists embedded themselves there.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the leaders of the U.S., France, Italy and Germany have agreed to “remain united and coordinated” as common friends of Israel.

The heads of state want to set the “conditions for a peaceful and integrated Middle Eastern region,” their statement said.