Scottish leader says wife’s parents left Gaza on Friday

Scotland’s leader Humza Yousaf on Friday said his wife’s parents had been able to leave Gaza, ending a “living nightmare” for the family after they were trapped in the besieged Palestinian territory since Hamas militants attacked Israel last month.

The Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt was opened for limited evacuations for a third day on Friday under a Qatari-brokered deal aimed at letting some foreign passport holders, their dependents and some wounded Gazans out of the enclave.

A list of approved evacuees posted online earlier by the Rafah border crossings authority had included Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla, the parents of Yousaf’s wife.

“We are very pleased to confirm that Nadia’s parents were able to leave Gaza through the Rafah Crossing this morning,” a statement from Yousaf and his wife Nadia El-Nakla said.

“These last four weeks have been a living nightmare for our family … Although we feel a sense of deep personal relief, we are heartbroken at the continued suffering of the people of Gaza.”

Yousaf, 38, has said his wife’s parents were visiting family when Hamas attacked Israel last month. Israel has bombed the enclave daily since then, killing more than 9,000 Palestinians as a humanitarian crisis unfolds.

He told Reuters last month that the couple were fast running out of food and drinking water and could die if they were not able to leave soon.

The first group of British nationals left Gaza on Wednesday, with the British Foreign Office saying it would provide transport to a reception centre in Cairo and help arranging onward travel via commercial flights.

Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas’ command structure and told civilians to flee to the south to avoid its assault.

Yousaf, who heads the devolved government in Scotland, is among the British politicians to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, though Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has only backed short pauses in fighting to let aid in.

“We reiterate our calls for all sides to agree to an immediate ceasefire, the opening of a humanitarian corridor so that significant amounts of aid, including fuel, can flow through to a population that have suffered collective punishment for far too long,” Yousaf and his wife said, adding Hamas should release all their hostages.

“Families in Gaza and Israel are suffering after the loss of entirely innocent men, women and children. We pray for them all.”