'She's lost hope': Humza Yousaf holds back tears in emotional update on mother-in-law stuck in Gaza

The First Minister reiterated calls for the Rafah border crossing to be opened, and for immediate ceasefire. Credit: PA

Scotland’s First Minister has said his mother-in-law, who is stuck in Gaza, has “lost hope”.

Elizabeth El-Nakla and her husband Maged travelled to the region before the Hamas attack but they have been left trapped by Israel's retaliation.

Holding back tears, Humza Yousaf reiterated calls for a ceasefire, an increase in aid and a global refugee settlement scheme to be created for those who wish to flee.

Speaking of his in-laws, he said: “Every night Nadia and I go to bed barely sleeping, as we count down the hours until the morning, waiting anxiously for a message from my mother-in-law to tell us they have survived the night.

“Throughout the day, the 100 people in the family home must ration their food.

“The adults barely eat, my mother-in-law only ate cashew nuts yesterday, they ration so the children in the house don’t end up malnourished, but time is running out.

“I spoke to my mother-in-law this morning. She feels helpless and has lost hope. She told me she feels as if the UK Government has forgotten about her.

“Please don’t interpret my point as a political one, it is not.”

The First Minister called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the UK government and the Foreign Secretary to press for the opening of the Rafah crossing to give trapped UK citizens safe passage.

Mr Yousaf said he made this point to Rishi Sunak in a call on Tuesday, and expressed the Scottish Government’s “full support” for his efforts to free British hostages.

Struck by emotion, the First Minister added: “And in the meantime I have a wife who really wants to hug her mum and dad, I have two girls who really miss their granny and grandad.

“And they just want to know, like many other families across the country, when they’ll come home, and I’m afraid it is a question I simply do not know the answer to.”

On Tuesday, a joint statement from the First Minister and leaders in the Jewish and Muslim communities in Scotland was released, with signatories pledging to be “steadfast against all forms of hate crime, bigotry and xenophobia and we are proud of the strong inter-faith tradition in Scotland”.

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