Humza Yousaf's relatives make a perilous journey across Gaza border seeking refuge

Humza Yousaf has announced that his family has finally been able to leave Gaza after being trapped there for over three weeks. The Scottish First Minister's parents-in-law had been unable to leave Gaza due to the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. They had travelled to the territory to visit a sick relative but ended up being stuck there. However, they have now entered Egypt through the Rafah crossing, which is the only way in and out of Gaza. The crossing was opened by Egypt on Wednesday, allowing British nationals and others to leave. The list published by the Palestinian Border Authority stated that those named must be present at the crossing to facilitate their travel. It is reported that the first to be allowed to cross were injured Palestinians and 335 foreign passport holders, including some British nationals. Mr Yousaf and his mother-in-law confirmed that the couple had safely made it through the crossing on Friday morning. They expressed their gratitude for the assistance they received from various organizations and individuals over the past few weeks. The article states that the El-Naklas, who are from Dundee, were among around 200 British nationals trapped in Gaza. The routes in and out of the region were closed following the attack by Hamas on Israel, which led to numerous casualties and hostages. Since then, the Israeli military has launched a bombing campaign and placed the region under a complete siege. The situation in Gaza has resulted in a significant loss of lives, with over 9,000 people reported dead according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Earlier, Mr Yousaf had expressed his distress and helplessness at not being able to do more to bring his family home. His mother-in-law also described the dire conditions they were living in, including a shortage of clean drinking water and rapidly depleting supplies.