Scotland leader's wife says family rescued from Gaza with Türkiye help

Nadia El Nakla, wife of Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf, has said her brother's spouse and the couple's four children, were rescued from besieged Gaza with Ankara's help and 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 programme akin to the one extended to Ukrainians, facilitating the reunification of families torn apart by the Israeli war on the blockaded enclave.

She also slammed the brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which she described as a "genocide."

"It's not even on the radar," she said. "It's the first time we're seeing a textbook genocide in real time and it's not even on the news."

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

'Second-class citizen in my own country'

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

El Nakla emphasised 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.

With the UK in an election year, El Nakla believes voters should judge political parties based on their stance on Gaza.

She criticised 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 ceasefire. 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 besieged Gaza amid the war, 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."