First Minister John Swinney has met with Dr Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestine Mission to the United Kingdom.

The SNP leader spoke virtually to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Holyrood's support for a ceasefire and the safe return of hostages held by Hamas.

Mr Swinney said: "As First Minister of Scotland, I will never hold back in expressing support for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and the recognition of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state within a two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace alongside each other."

The Mission of Palestine is not a fully-fledged embassy as the UK government does not formally recognise Palestine as a state.

While the House of Commons voted for recognition in 2014, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says any move to do so "has to be done at the right time in the process".

The Scottish Government has called for recognition of Palestine and for an embassy to be opened there.

Though it's understood the meeting between Mr Swinney and Dr Zomlot was arranged before July's general election, it comes after a difficult few weeks for the SNP on the conflict in the Middle East.

External affairs secretary Angus Robertson came in for criticism for meeting with Israel's deputy ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grudsky, on August 8.

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Ms Grudsky posted a photo of the meeting four days later, writing: "Thank you for welcoming us to wonderful Scotland. Discussed the unique commonalities between - and also emphasized the urgent need to bring back our 115 hostages.

"Looking forward to cooperating in the fields of technology, culture and renewable energy."

Mr Robertson was criticised for taking the meeting given his party's longstanding call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Glasgow Shettleston MSP John Mason also met with Ms Grudsky, and had the whip withdrawn over the weekend for social media comments about the conflict.

Responding to accusations that Israel is committing a genocide, as has been alleged in a case brought before the International Court of Justice by South Africa, he wrote: "If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many."

The SNP later announced it had withdrawn the whip with immediate effect.

A spokesperson said: "To flippantly dismiss the death of more than 40,000 Palestinians is completely unacceptable. There can be no room in the SNP for this kind of intolerance.

"The chief whip has today withdrawn the whip from John Mason MSP with immediate effect, pending internal Parliamentary Group due process.

"The SNP Group will now meet to discuss the matter, with a recommendation that the whip be suspended from John Mason for a fixed period of time because of this utterly abhorrent comment."

Israel launched its latest offensive on the occupied Gaza Strip in response to the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants which saw 1,180 killed, 797 of them civilians, and more than 250 taken hostage.

More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the intervening period, with South Africa bringing a case accusing Israel of genocide before the ICJ.

In January the court issued an order to "take all measures to prevent" acts which would contravene the convention but did not order it to halt its military offensive.

Israel was later accused by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International of failing to comply with the orders.

Heba Morayef, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International said: "As the occupying power, under international law, Israel has a clear obligation to ensure the basic needs of Gaza’s population are met.

"Israel has not only woefully failed to provide for Gazans’ basic needs, but it has also been blocking and impeding the passage of sufficient aid into the Gaza Strip, in particular to the north which is virtually inaccessible, in a clear show of contempt for the ICJ ruling and in flagrant violation of its obligation to prevent genocide.”

In May the ICJ went further, ordering Israel to halt its offensive on the southern city of Rafah, an order with which the nation did not comply.

A final ruling by the court as to whether Israel is guilty of genocide is not expected for several years.