Yousaf condemns ‘outrageous smear’ over Gaza funding

Humza Yousaf has been accused of having a conflict of interest. The Scottish government donated £250,000 to UNRWA in November 2023. His parents-in-law were among millions unable to leave the enclave. He said the story was an Islamophobic attack and an attempt to link him to terrorism.

He said: “Most of my political life, I’ve battled insinuations from sections of the media desperate to link me to terrorism despite campaigning my whole life against it. The latest smear from the Telegraph is just a continuation of these Islamophobic attacks. The first minister’s parents-in-law left the region on 3 November 2023. The money was allocated to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in response to a flash appeal for emergency aid as more than a million Palestinians in Gaza faced displacement.

UNRWA has been at the centre of controversy surrounding Israeli accusations. Several countries, including the UK, have announced a pause in support. The Scottish government stated that the decision had been taken following advice from officials. The row came as hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters marched in Edinburgh and Glasgow calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) called for demonstrators to stand in solidarity with Palestinian women. Israel launched an air and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip after Hamas attacks on 7 October. More than 30,800 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry says.

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