Humza Yousaf’s brother-in-law has refused to leave his post as a doctor in Gaza after working for seven consecutive days.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Scottish First Minister shared a video of bloodied children being treated by medical personnel.
In a message, Mr Yousaf said his wife, Nadia El-Nakla, had implored her brother to go home and rest after working constantly for a whole week.
The First Minister wrote: “My brother-in-law, a doctor in Gaza, is spending his seventh consecutive day in hospital.
“Nadia spoke to him & said he should go home to rest, his response: ‘I can’t leave my people when they need me’.
“Health workers in Gaza are heroes.”
It comes after Mr Yousaf told broadcasters last week his brother-in-law had been forced to decide who to treat due to a lack of medical supplies.
A surgeon working at Shifa Hospital, Ghassan Abu Sitta, has resorted to using "vinegar from the corner shop to treat pseudodomonas bacterial wound infections", he said on X.
Vinegar from the corner shop to treat pseuodomonas bacterial wound infections. Its come to that. pic.twitter.com/mEE4haHMyj
— Ghassan Abu Sitta (@GhassanAbuSitt1) October 19, 2023
Mr Yousaf and Ms El-Nakla have spoken at length about their fears for family in the region.
Ms El-Nakla’s parents, Elizabeth and Maged, visited family in Gaza in the week before the Hamas attack on Israel which prompted reprisals.
On Wednesday, SNP MP Chris Law told the House of Commons that Elizabeth El-Nakla had said her final goodbyes in a call with her daughter and the First Minister that morning.
According to the MP, she said: “Last night was the end for me, better if my heart stops and then I will be at peace, I can’t take another night.”
Mr Yousaf also used his first address to the SNP conference as leader this week to call for the UK Government to set up a refugee resettlement scheme for those seeking to flee Gaza, stating that Scotland could be the first place to take people in.
My brother-in-law, a doctor in Gaza, is spending his seventh consecutive day in hospital. Nadia spoke to him & said he should go home to rest, his response "I can't leave my people when they need me."
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) October 19, 2023
Health workers in Gaza are heroes.
(video shared with family's permission) pic.twitter.com/mMbG1IRx51
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in Israel on Wednesday, offering the country's solidarity with Israeli people who have suffered an unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism” after more than 1,400 people were slaughtered by Hamas on October 7.
During a two-day trip, Mr Sunak was also set to meet other leaders in the Middle East. He was expected to highlight the need to “avoid further dangerous escalation”, saying that “too many lives have been lost”.
The death toll in Gaza, which Israel is targeting with waves of air strikes, was reported to have already risen above 3,000. Mr Sunak’s visit comes after the US president was in Israel yesterday on a diplomatic mission to prevent fighting from spiralling into a larger crisis.
Joe Biden gave “steadfast” backing to Israel but also warned against being “consumed by” rage and making the same “mistakes” the US did after the September 11 attacks in 2001.
The president’s trip appeared to herald a breakthrough, with Mr Netanyahu’s office announcing it had approved a request from Mr Biden to allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, where water and food are becoming scarce.
Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said opening the Rafah crossing, between Egypt and Gaza, is the “next step” to getting Britons trapped in Gaza to safety, the Security Minister said on Thursday.
He is hoping it will be opened "in the coming days" but added that there are “logistical issues” which make it difficult to give an exact timeline.
The British Government estimates up to 60,000 UK nationals were in Israel or Gaza when the terror group launched its attack.
