Hundreds of parents, children and carers brought cuddly toys to Glasgow city centre in memory of the thousands who have lost their lives in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The death toll is nearing 10,000 with just under half of those children after almost a month of fierce fighting on the ground and heavy bombing.
Doa Abu Amer told STV News her family is trapped in Gaza and she is struggling to sleep because she is so worried.
“My mother, my siblings, my nephews and my nieces, they all had to flee the house and are taking shelter in one of the UN schools,” she said.
Getty Images“For the last three weeks, I haven’t been able to have a proper call. Just a text saying they’ve survived the night. It’s terrifying. No words to describe what I’m feeling at the moment.”
More than one million children are caught up in the conflict – left without access to water, food, medicines, and shelter.
On Wednesday, the first foreign nationals left Gaza after the Rafah crossing to Egypt opened, allowing their safe passage.
But it’s understood the family of Scotland’s First Minister and other UK nationals are not currently on the list of those who can leave.
A statement from the Foreign Office said it understands the crossing will be “open for controlled and time-limited periods to allow specific groups of foreign nationals and the seriously wounded to leave”.
The UK is pushing for Britons trapped in the Gaza Strip to be allowed to pass through the Rafah border.
Foreign secretary James Cleverly said teams are ready to help British nationals able to flee the territory.
As Tel Aviv’s forces step up operations against the Hamas group, which carried out the October 7 atrocities in Israel killing more than 1,400 men, women and children, Cleverly also stressed the need for humanitarian aid to get into Gaza.
Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf’s in-laws remain trapped in the Gaza Strip with “dwindling supplies”.
Yousaf’s parents-in-law, Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla, from Dundee, travelled to Gaza to visit family before the conflict erupted.
In a statement, the First Minister’s spokesman said: “We continue to liaise with the UK Government and urge them to work with the Egyptian authorities so that all UK nationals can urgently leave Gaza as quickly as possible.
“The First Minister’s wife, Nadia, spoke to her mother this morning. The family remains trapped in Gaza, without clean drinking water, and rapidly diminishing supplies.”
Israel’s prime minister has warned of suffering to come.
“We are in a harsh war, it will also be a long war,” Benjamin Netanyahu said.
“We have important achievements, but also painful losses. We will continue until the mission is complete.”
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