Israel-Hamas: Humza Yousaf says action has gone 'way beyond a legitimate response' and reiterates calls for a ceasefire

The First Minister says the UK Government must use its influence as an Israeli ally to call for an immediate ceasefire in the region

Humza Yousaf says Israel’s military action in Gaza has gone “way beyond a legitimate response” as he stressed the UK Government must now call for an immediate ceasefire.

The First Minister, who has consistently called for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, said those responsible for killing civilians, including thousands of children, must be held accountable.

He said the UK Government must now use its position as a trusted ally of the Israeli Government to demand an end to “indiscriminate attacks”.

A child looks through the window of a destroyed house following Israeli bombardment in Rafah, on the southern Gaza Strip, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Picture: AFP via Getty Images

Mr Yousaf also said in an interview later in the day that he was unsure if his wife Nadia’s family, who live in Gaza, are alive or not.

The First Minister said: “The time has come for the UK Government to speak out forcefully and make it clear that Israeli action has gone way beyond a legitimate response to the appalling Hamas attack of 7 October.

“Hearing comments from an Israeli government minister urging displacement of Palestinians from Gaza is deeply disturbing and should be universally condemned. Gaza is Occupied Palestinian Territory and will be part of a future Palestinian state – Gazans should not be subject to forcible displacement or relocation from Gaza.”

The UN says up to 1.9 million people have been displaced in Gaza in the ten weeks since the war started, and are now moving into progressively smaller pockets of the region.

First Minister Humza Yousaf

Around 40 per cent of the Gaza population is now at risk of famine due to “catastrophic hunger”, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees. The latest Integrated food security Phase Classification brief shows Gaza is experiencing a food security emergency driven by ongoing hostilities.

Mr Yousaf said the UK Government’s refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire in the region was “shameful”. He said it must now use its influence as an Israeli ally to step up calls to end the war.

The UK Government has previously voiced its support for a sustained ceasefire, but has stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Mr Yousaf said: “The UK Government must make clear that Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, Israeli ministers and military commanders will be held accountable for the killing of thousands of innocent civilians and the deaths of tens of thousands more from starvation and disease if Israel does not immediately cease indiscriminate attacks and allow aid to enter Gaza on the scale needed to avert a humanitarian disaster.

“Hamas leaders must also be held accountable for the appalling attacks against Israeli civilians on 7 October. Talk of a sustainable ceasefire from the UK Government has made no difference on the ground, as the situation has worsened for the people of Gaza.

“The UK Government must use its voice and influence to stop the killing – directly with the Israeli government, and indirectly with the US.”

The First Minister’s comments come as US diplomat Anthony Blinken makes his fourth visit to the region since the war began, and as the EU’s top foreign policy chief Josep Borrell visits Lebanon to discuss the situation on the Israeli-Lebanon border and the importance of avoiding regional escalation.

When the war first broke out, Mr Yousaf’s mother-in-law Elizabeth El-Nakla and her husband, who live in Dundee, was trapped in Gaza while visiting family. His in-laws were eventually able to escape to Egypt via the Rafah crossing and have since made their way safely back to Scotland.

The UK Foreign Office has been approached for comment. Will update this sentence if response lands