THE First Minister has backed The National’s fundraiser for Medical Aid for Palestinians, saying it is “heartening” to see the amount which has already been donated.
Since The National launched the fundraiser on Saturday, target after target has been smashed thanks to the generosity of our readers in Scotland and beyond.
READ MORE: Inside the crucial life-saving work in Gaza your donations go towards
An initial target of £15,000 was doubled, then stretched, and is now sitting at £75,000. Thanks to the amazing support, we are currently past 90% of even that massive target.
Writing on social media, Humza Yousaf urged people to donate to push the fundraising pot even higher.
“People in Gaza are suffering unimaginable horrors,” the SNP leader wrote.
“With over 70,000 people injured, medical aid is of critical importance.
“The incredible support already demonstrated for @ScotNational’s @MedicalAidPal fundraiser is heartening.
“Please donate if you can.”
Yousaf shared The National’s front page from Tuesday, which marked the £50,000 milestone being hit the previous day.
People in Gaza are suffering unimaginable horrors.
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) March 12, 2024
With over 70,000 people injured, medical aid is of critical importance.
The incredible support already demonstrated for @ScotNational’s @MedicalAidPal fundraiser is heartening.
Please donate if you can: https://t.co/FySnMpHnZE https://t.co/4I1gsW1buB
The Israeli attacks on Gaza that followed by Hamas’ October 7 attacks have killed over 30,000 Palestinians and driven some 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes.
Yousaf’s in-laws were among the millions of people trapped in the region after the initial siege began.
Aid groups say it is nearly impossible to deliver aid in much of the territory, and the UN says a quarter of the population is starving. Scores of Palestinians were killed last month during a chaotic aid delivery in the north organized by Israeli troops, who fired on the crowd.
Conditions are especially dire in northern Gaza, which has suffered widespread devastation and been largely cut off by Israeli forces since October.
Up to 300,000 Palestinians are believed to have remained there despite Israeli evacuation orders, with many reduced to eating animal feed in recent weeks.
The US has announced plans to construct a sea bridge near Gaza in order to deliver aid, but it will likely be several weeks before it is operational.
Please, if you can, donate to our fundraiser for Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here