A SCOTTISH man was “murdered” by Hamas during their unprecedented assault on Israel over the weekend, his family have said.
Bernard Cowan, from Newton Mearns in East Renfrewshire, died amid the fighting on Saturday, according to a statement released to the BBC.
The family said: “We are grieving the loss of our son and brother, Bernard Cowan, who was horrifically murdered on Saturday during the surprise terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas.
“We ask for privacy at this time while we process this huge loss to our family, both at home and in Israel, and to the Jewish community in Glasgow where he will be sorely missed.”
Local MSP Jackson Carlaw said: "Desperately sad and grim news. The family of Bernard Cowan, of late my Eastwood constituent, have confirmed that he was murdered on Saturday by Hamas.
"Our heartfelt condolences to his family as we respect their privacy in their grief. May his memory be a blessing."
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "We don't comment on individual consular cases.
"However, we can confirm we are in contact with, and assisting, the families of several individuals in Israel and the OPTs [Occupied Palestinian Territories].
"The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority and we urge everyone to continue to follow our travel advice which is updated regularly."
First Minister Humza Yousaf said that he has family “trapped” in Gaza, which has been placed under siege by Israeli forces.
The SNP leader (below) said: “My own family situation, as many will know, my wife is Palestinian. Her mum and dad, my in-laws, who live in Dundee, live in Scotland, they've been in Gaza and are currently trapped in Gaza, I'm afraid.
“My father-in law-went to visit his 92-year-old, elderly and frail mother, and we've been on the phone to them over the last 48, 72 hours. They're trapped.
“They've been told by the Israeli authorities to leave Gaza because Gaza will effectively be obliterated. But they've got nowhere to go.
“And despite the best efforts of the British Foreign Office, nobody, nobody can guarantee them safe passage anywhere.”
The surprise assault on Saturday saw at least 700 people killed and more than 2300 injured as Hamas launched rocket strikes and sent troops into Israel.
Israeli attacks on Gaza led to more than 400 deaths, according to reports on Sunday.
