Scottish leader's wife says her family managed to leave Gaza with help of Türkiye

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Nadia El-Nakla, wife of Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf, said her brother's spouse and the couple’s four children. were rescued from the Gaza Strip with Türkiye’s help.

The family has been granted temporary protection status in Türkiye.

Speaking exclusively to The Guardian, El-Nakla urged the British government to implement a visa program akin to the one extended to Ukrainians, facilitating the reunification of families torn apart by the ongoing strife in the Middle East.

Drawing a parallel to successful rescue efforts for Ukrainians, El-Nakla stressed the importance of providing similar opportunities for Gazans with family in the UK.

"The Ukrainian resettlement programme saved so many lives. Gazans should also have that opportunity, especially those with family in Britain," she said.

Expressing gratitude for her family's safety, El-Nakla emotionally stated, "My brother keeps thanking me for saving his kids."

- 'I feel like a second-class citizen in my own country'

But she voiced frustration at the lack of resettlement options for her sister-in-law and children.

El-Nakla emphasized the sense of being a "second-class citizen" in her country, lamenting the inability to bring her brother to stay in her home.

"I feel like a second-class citizen in my own country, because I don’t have the right to bring my own brother to stay in my own home," she said.

"I can see people across the street hosting Ukrainian families, and rightly so. But I can't host my own brother. To me, that feels beyond upsetting. I was born here. I pay my taxes. I contribute to society. And yet the government that's supposed to represent me is doing such a poor job," she said.

El-Nakla expressed shock and dismay at how little attention the conflict in Gaza has received in national news during the festive season.

Describing the attacks on Gaza as a "genocide," she emphasized that the situation has virtually disappeared from public awareness. "It's not even on the radar," she lamented. "It’s the first time we’re seeing a textbook genocide in real time and it’s not even on the news."

With the UK in an election year, El-Nakla believes voters should judge political parties based on their stance on Gaza. She criticized the UK government's apparent indifference to the Palestinian cause, stating it is merely echoing the foreign policy of the United States.

Expressing confusion over the Labour Party's position, led by human rights lawyer Keir Starmer, El-Nakla questioned why it is not calling for a cease-fire. She urged political leaders to consider the importance of standing on the right side of history.

While using her voice as a Palestinian Scot with a platform, El-Nakla admitted that the psychological toll of pleading for her family's safety and the end of violence had become increasingly challenging.

As her brother continues to work as an emergency room doctor in Gaza amid escalating dangers, El-Nakla conveyed the deep exhaustion and desperation felt by her family.

"There's nothing that I can say to comfort him," she said, sharing a poignant exchange with him where she reminded him of the line from the Qur'an: "With difficulty comes ease."