The First Minister has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, saying it is “at the heart” of reaching wider peace in the Middle East.
John Swinney was speaking on the first anniversary of the day Israeli forces began their ground invasion of Gaza, which came after Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
Mr Swinney said that international recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine, as part of a two-state solution, is also a “fundamental pillar” upon which lasting peace could be built.
He also called for the unconditional release of all hostages.
According to the Gaza health ministry, more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than a year ago.
The ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count.
Mr Swinney said: “The ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is now entering its second year. The horror, suffering and killing we have watched unfold in Gaza in real time, on such a devastating scale, has now spread across the region.
“The need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is at the heart of reaching wider peace in the Middle East, and we must see the unconditional release of all hostages.
“International recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine, as part of a two-state solution, is also a fundamental pillar upon which we can build lasting peace.”
READ MORE:
- Children in Gaza and Lebanon risk 'compounded learning losses'
- Aid worker describes Gaza devastation as appeal continues
- John Mason expelled from SNP over 'abhorrent' Gaza comments
Mr Swinney said that there have been “repeated breaches of international law and violations of human rights since the conflict began”.
He said that Israel “must stop blocking essential humanitarian aid from reaching wounded and starving civilians who are surviving in nightmarish conditions”.
The First Minister also reiterated the Scottish Government’s calls for an end to all UK arms sales to Israel.
He added: “Tens of thousands of lives have been lost, and millions more have been directly affected by this catastrophe.
“I stand with our communities in Scotland who have lost loves ones and face the daily torment of not knowing if their family members will make it through the day.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel