Scotland Top Min. Says Israeli Regime Committing 'Ethnic Cleansing' in Gaza
In a statement on Friday, Yousaf said the regime's military campaign in Gaza, which began on October 7 in response to a Palestinian resistance operation, had gone "way beyond a legitimate response" and had killed or wounded more than 80,000 people.
The war began after Hamas-led Palestinian resistance movements launched a surprise operation in occupied territories on October 7 in response to increased Israeli violence against Palestinians and also desecration of al-Aqsa Mosque by occupiers.
The relentless Israeli attacks on Gaza has since killed at least 22,722 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left more than 58,000 others injured.
Yousaf called on UK ministers to demand an immediate ceasefire and to hold Israeli officials, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accountable for the deaths of Palestinian civilians if Israel did not "immediately cease indiscriminate attacks" in Gaza.
He also criticised the British government's repeated refusal to call for a halt to the hostilities, calling it "shameful".
"Frankly, my plea is one of desperation. I mean, I am seeing the same images you are seeing and the same images your viewers are seeing, day in and day out,” Yousaf said in an interview with Sky News.
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He also condemned recent remarks by extremist Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich, who suggested that Israel should "encourage migration" of Palestinians from Gaza and that Israeli settlements should be built there instead.
Yousaf said such statements were "the textbook definition of ethnic cleansing" and should be "condemned in the strongest possible manner".
He also appealed for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, where 1.9 million people have been displaced since the start of the conflict.
Source: Agencies
