Yousaf welcomes opening of Rafah crossing but in-laws still trapped in Gaza
Foreign nationals have been seen passing through the border into Egypt.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has welcomed the opening of the Rafah crossing to allow people to leave the Gaza Strip, but his in-laws remain trapped with “dwindling supplies”, a spokesman has said.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Wednesday that teams are ready to help British nationals flee the territory after some foreign passport holders were seen using the crossing into Egypt in the south of the Gaza Strip.
But a spokesman for the First Minister said it is the Scottish Government’s understanding that Britons will not yet be allowed to leave.
Mr Yousaf’s parents-in-law Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla, from Dundee, travelled to Gaza to visit family before the conflict erupted and are now trapped there, facing Israeli bombardment and shortages of water and other vital supplies.
In a statement, the spokesman said: “We welcome that the Rafah crossing looks set to be opened for a number of foreign nationals.
“This is obviously a developing situation, but our understanding at this stage is that UK nationals are not at present included in this initial list of countries whose nationals can cross.
“The First Minister has been in contact with the Foreign Secretary this morning.
“We continue to liaise with the UK Government and urge them to work with the Egyptian authorities so that all UK nationals can urgently leave Gaza as quickly as possible.
“The First Minister’s wife, Nadia, spoke to her mother this morning. The family remains trapped in Gaza, without clean drinking water, and rapidly diminishing supplies.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.