Scottish political party urges UK government to sanction Israel

• Turkish First Lady pens a letter to President Trump’s spouse, urging her to raise the plight of children in Gaza

LONDON: The Scottish National Party’s (SNP) Middle East spokesperson has urged British Prime Minister Keir Starmer not to sit silently and to take more action in Gaza, Al Jazeera reports.

“Your Labour Government cannot sit silent as a genocide unfolds in Gaza and I look forward to hearing from you,” Brendan O’Hara wrote in a letter quoted by Scottish daily The National.

He listed some actions Starmer should take, such as a complete arms embargo on Israel, immediate recognition of a Palestinian state, formally joining the prevention of genocide case brought forth by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and imposing economic sanctions on Israel.

O’Hara also demanded a naval operation to be launched to deliver aid to the enclave, and for a commitment to enforce international arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his cabinet.

“Failure to do so is a breach of your legal obligations,” he stressed.

Turkish first lady urges Melania Trump to speak out on Gaza

Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan has written to United States President Donald Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, and urged her to contact Israel’s prime minister and raise the plight of children in Gaza, Reuters reports citing authorities in Ankara.

Sayın Emine Erdoğan, ABD Başkanı Donald Trump’ın eşi Melania Trump’a bir mektup gönderdi.

“335 kurşunla öldürülen 6 yaşındaki Hind Recep, dedesinin neşe ile gülen gözlerinin içinden öperek veda ettiği 3 yaşındaki Rim gibi kaybettiğimiz 18.885 Gazzeli bebek ve çocuk için artık… pic.twitter.com/ylbkLq3AnM

— T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı (@tcbestepe) August 23, 2025

Emine Erdogan wrote that she had been inspired by the letter Melania Trump sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month about children in Ukraine and Russia.

“I have faith that the important sensitivity you have shown for the 648 Ukrainian children … will be extended to Gaza as well,” Emine Erdogan wrote in the letter dated Friday, which was published by the Turkish presidency.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“These days, when the world is experiencing a collective awakening and the recognition of Palestine has become a global will. I believe that your call on behalf of Gaza would fulfil a historic responsibility toward the Palestinian people,” Emine Erdogan’s letter added.

Chronic disease drugs urgently needed: Gaza health ministry director

Meanwhile, Munir al-Bursh, the director of the Gaza health ministry, has spoken to Al Jazeera about the deteriorating healthcare system in the coastal enclave.

He says that safe corridors must be opened to allow in medicine for chronic diseases and international medical teams must be allowed to enter Gaza to support the health staff.

“We have not yet seen any international action on the ground after the declaration of famine in Gaza,” he stated. “We are facing a great tragedy and a health and environmental genocide. We need desalination plants.

“To occupy a land whose population suffers from famine is a moral outrage,” he added.

Time for Israel to ‘stop denying the famine it has created’

ON the other hand, the Commissioner General of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, says it is time for the Israeli government to “stop denying the famine it has created in Gaza”, Al Jazeera reports.

“All of those who have influence must use it with determination and a sense of moral duty. Every hour counts,” Lazzarini wrote on X in response to a statement by UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher.