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Nearly 100 British nationals are expected to leave Gaza for Egypt on Friday.
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf showed that his in-laws – Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla, from Dundee – were among those allowed to leave the country through the Rafah crossing on Friday morning.
The couple, who were trapped in Gaza, were on a list of others allowed by the Palestinian Authority to pass through from the borders and were asked to report to the border at 7 a. m.
The most recent list released through the authority included a further 92 people described as British citizens, out of a total of 127 people named in the UK segment of the list.
This comes amid significant diplomatic efforts to ensure the passage of foreign nationals out of the war-torn region and into Egypt through the Rafah crossing.
So far, around 200 Britons in Gaza have registered with the authorities and, combined with their dependents, the total number of those seeking safe passage is believed to be in the hundreds.
Yousaf shared the “deep personal relief” felt by his circle of relatives as they confirmed that his wife Nadia’s parents had left Gaza.
The El-Naklas were there to stop at relatives’ homes before the clash with Israel erupted, and Yousaf has shared updates on his family’s situation, adding that they had to drink seawater due to a lack of resources of their own.
We were incredibly relieved that Nadia’s parents left Gaza. We thank all of you for your messages of convenience over the past few weeks.
Our minds are with those who are leaving and those who are still suffering in Gaza. We will continue to raise our voices for paz. pic. twitter. com/uFU1vUfDBe
– Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) November 3, 2023
The Foreign Office said on Thursday that more British nationals were going to enter Egypt after two British aid staff managed to flee Gaza a day earlier, but declined to specify how many.
Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said he could give main points on how many Britons would have to cross the border.
“I can’t go into detail just because there’s a lot of moving parts, there’s a lot of other issues that combine in those exit lanes. “
“Different families will be under other pressures and other methods, so they will perceive that it’s not very easy to make an ongoing comment and that it would be something that should be done. “
He told Sky News: “I can give absolute assurance that the British Government, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, myself and many others are surely committed to ensuring that we look after British citizens in the most productive way possible. to get them out of this incredibly harmful situation.
British officials will most likely meet with British nationals crossing the border at Rafah, before transporting them by bus to a reception center in Cairo.
It has also caused trauma to those who fled the conflict, which has killed more than 9,000 people in the Gaza Strip since October 7, when Israel announced its military reaction to Hamas’ atrocities.
Aid agencies are scrambling with resources against a humanitarian crisis in the war-torn territory, while the government is being asked to step up its efforts.
Foreign Minister James Cleverly reportedly spoke with Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, and UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
He also spoke with Israel’s Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, about the need for British citizens to be able to safely enter Egypt as temporarily as possible, while reiterating the UK’s solidarity with Israel and its commitment to finding a two-state solution.
Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said Friday that Israel “has a duty to respect humanitarian law. “
During his visit to the Rolls-Royce facility in Derby, together with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles, he said: “Israel is, of course, a democratic country that has a duty to respect foreign humanitarian law, and this is a point I make publicly and privately to the Israelis, adding in an assembly with Israel’s ambassador in London.