October 15, 2023
2 mins read

Scottish first minister says he feels helpless, powerless   

Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla had traveled to Gaza last week to visit Maged’s 93-year-old mother….reports Asian Lite News

Scotland’s first minister said he feels “helpless and powerless” to save his parents-in-law who are trapped in Gaza amid fears of a massive Israeli ground invasion.

In an interview with Channel 4, Humza Yousaf broke down in tears as he described the “suffering” of his in-laws, who are sheltering near Gaza City.

Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla had traveled to Gaza last week to visit Maged’s 93-year-old mother.

Yousaf told Channel 4: “I’ll be honest. I may be first minister of Scotland, but in this situation I feel powerless. I can raise my voice, I can tell the story, but beyond that, I’m watching my mother-in-law and my father-in-law suffer.

“And anybody knows, any human being, your first instinct is to protect your family as best you possibly can, and we feel helpless.”

He added: “In my heart of hearts, I can’t tell you whether my mother-in-law will be back or not. And that’s tough for me and incredibly distressing for my wife.”

Yousaf’s wife Nadia El-Nakla told the BBC that her parents are “now caught up in a war situation,” adding: “My mother says that there’s continual bombardment from land, sea and air.”

Elizabeth “has not slept since Monday” and feels as if “every part of her body is shaking,” Nadia said, adding that her parents “are just terrified, absolutely terrified, about what’s to come and what’s happening right now as we speak.”

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have reduced the homes of her aunt and cousin to rubble. Yousaf on said Israel is “going too far” in its conflict with Hamas, warning that innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip “couldn’t be used as collateral damage.”

He called for the international community to “step up” its efforts to ensure a ceasefire in Gaza, and for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to allow supplies into the enclave and to allow people to leave.

“There’s a humanitarian catastrophe that’s unfolding, and the collective punishment of 2.2 million Gazans just can’t be justified,” he said.

This week, Yousaf wrote a letter to UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly asking him to request the Israeli government to allow civilians to flee through the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

ALSO READ: India-UK FTA likely to be signed this Diwali

Previous Story

‘UK may be complicit in Israeli war crimes’

Next Story

Iran Envoy to India says Iran played no role in Hamas attack on Israel

Latest from -Top News

Macron backs Syria sanctions shift 

 Diplomatic outreach, sanctions, reconstruction, and sectarian unrest shape Syria’s complex new chapter.  In a landmark visit signalling Syria’s first re-engagement with a European capital in over a decade, French President Emmanuel Macron

Up to 1,000 transgender troops moved out

Department officials have said it’s difficult to determine exactly how many transgender service members there are The Pentagon will immediately begin moving as many as 1,000 openly identifying transgender service members out

Singapore lauds UAE field aid

A Singaporean delegation visited the UAE Floating Hospital in Al-Arish, where they toured its various departments and were briefed on the medical and humanitarian services provided to patients arriving from the Gaza

Leaders hail new Pope

The UAE President expressed hope that the pontiff’s tenure would advance global harmony, peace, and interfaith understanding President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has extended warm congratulations to Cardinal

U.S. Cardinal Named Pope Leo XIV

Joy erupted among the clergy and laity awaiting a decision, and all eyes were on the balcony, awaiting the first appearance of the new head of the Roman Catholic Church…reports Asian Lite
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Israel Reopens Key Gaza Crossing

It had been closed to humanitarian shipments on Sunday following

Israel tells ‘everyone in Gaza City’ to leave

The Israeli forces have dropped leaflets over Gaza City urging