Israel ‘going too far’ in battle with Hamas: Scottish first minister

Scotland’s first minister on Friday said Israel was “going too far” in its conflict with Hamas, and innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip could not be used as “collateral damage”

Humza Yousaf 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 allw people to leave.

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“There is a humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding, and the collective punishment of 2.2 million Gazans just cannot be justified,” he said, adding that while innocent Palestinians should not pay the price for the actions of a terrorist group, he has “absolute sympathy” with all those who lost their lives in Israel.

Yousaf was speaking after his mother-in-law Elizabeth El-Nakla this week urged support from the international community for the Palestinian people via video from Gaza, where she is trapped with her husband Maged.

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Yousaf said El-Nakla is in a “state of distress,” and it is “really difficult” to watch the video feeling a sense of “helplessness.”

Also 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.