Scotland’s Humza Yousaf has lost contact with wife’s family trapped in Gaza
Humza Yousaf has said he has lost contact with his family who are trapped in Gaza as Israel expands its ground operations overnight.
Scotland’s first minister has previously spoken to Sky News about how his wife’s parents are “trapped” in Gaza.
The Israeli Defence Forces said tonight that it had “significantly expanded” its ground operations, while there are reports that the internet connectivity in Gaza has completely broken down.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly confirmed on social media that Israel was “expanding their military campaign against Hamas”.
“The UK’s top priority remains the safety of British nationals in Gaza and the region,” he said.
“We support Israel’s right to self defence, in line with IHL [international human rights law], and continue to push for the protection of Palestinian civilians.”
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Yousaf said: “Gaza is under intense bombing.
“Telecommunications have been cut. We can’t get through to our family who have been trapped in this war zone for almost 3 weeks.
“We can only pray they survive the night. How many more children have to die before the world says enough?”
His plea comes as more senior Labour politicians outside of Westminster broke ranks to call for an immediate ceasefire, putting further pressure on Sir Keir Starmer who is in line with the government in calling for a humanitarian pause only.
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Humza Yousaf fearful for mother-in-law
London mayor Sadiq Khan, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham are among those who want the Labour leadership to strengthen its position and back a full cessation of violence between Israel and Hamas.
Sir Keir is united with Rishi Sunak, the US, and most recently the EU in pushing for “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting, while supporting Israel’s right to defend itself against the militants who launched a wave of bloodshed in the country earlier this month, killing more than 1,400 people, according to authorities.
The Labour leader has angered MPs for not going further, with dozens urging him to back a ceasefire to prevent the conflict from escalating.
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Gaza will be ‘a whole new ball game’
Earlier on Friday Mr Yousaf also called for a ceasefire, writing in a letter to UK political leaders, including Mr Sunak, that “the killing of innocent civilians can never be justified, wherever it occurs”.
“Israel, like every other country, has a right to protect itself from attack, but in doing so it must comply with international law,” he said.
“We should stand together and united in unequivocally calling on all parties to commit to an immediate ceasefire to allow a humanitarian corridor to be opened, so that lifesaving supplies can get into Gaza and innocent civilians who want to leave be given safe passage out.
“The situation in Gaza is at the point of being cataclysmic. All of us must do everything we can to prevent that. There must be no more dithering, or delay, together we must call for an immediate ceasefire.”
Mr Sunak revealed earlier this month that the parents of his wife Nadia El Nakla were in Gaza visiting family when Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel.
The first minister said his parents in-law, who live in Dundee, have “been in Gaza and are currently trapped in Gaza, I’m afraid”.
Read more:
Israel accuses Hamas of launching attacks from inside Gaza hospitals – and signals it could target medical facilities
Satellite data shows Israel intensifying bombing of south Gaza
The first minister said both he and his wife “cannot sleep” due to worry for her parents.
“We cannot sleep – we are constantly watching our phones,” he said.
When our messages do get through, we’re waiting for a reply.”
He added: “I’m worried about my family. There will be many people, including in Scotland’s Jewish community for example, who will be really worried about their family in Israel that have come to harm.
“My thoughts go out to everybody, because innocent civilians have nothing to do with the conflict, they have nothing to do with Hamas terror, have nothing to do with the loss of life and they’re the ones often – innocent people – who are paying the price.”
Arizona’s Senate has advanced a Bitcoin reserve bill, bringing it to second place behind Utah in a race between US states to get a crypto investment bill approved.
The Arizona Senate passed the Strategic Digital Assets Reserve bill (SB 1373) on its third reading on Feb. 27 with a vote of 17 for and 12 against. It now advances to the state’s House.
The bill, sponsored by Republican Senator Mark Finchem, would create a “Digital Assets Strategic Reserve Fund” administered by the state treasurer that would consist of money appropriated by the legislature and crypto seized by the state.
The treasurer can’t invest more than 10% of the total fund deposits in any fiscal year but may loan digital assets from the fund to generate returns if it doesn’t increase financial risks to the state.
“[Whether] you like it or not, legislation will happen at the federal level in this order: Stablecoins, Market Structure, and Strategic Bitcoin Reserve,” Satoshi Action Fund founder Dennis Porter said in a Feb. 28 X post.
Arizona moves up in the strategic reserve race. Source: Bitcoin Laws
Another Bitcoin reserve bill is also making its way through Arizona’s Senate. The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act (SB 1025), co-sponsored by Republican Senator Wendy Rogers and Representative Jeff Weninger, also passed the Senate’s third reading on Feb. 27 with a vote of 17 for and 11 against.
The Rogers and Weninger-sponsored bill focuses on investment authority for public funds to invest in crypto assets, while the Finchem-sponsored bill establishes a specialized fund for seized digital assets and appropriated funds.
Related: Michigan becomes latest state to propose crypto reserve bill
There are currently 18 US states that have crypto reserve bills pending Senate votes, while two — Arizona and Utah — are in the final stages of the approval process.
State crypto investment bills have been rejected in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Pennsylvania.
The status of crypto reserve-related bills. Source: Bitcoin Reserve Monitor
Bitcoin reserve proposals are gaining support across the US thanks to President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto policies.
Bitcoin, meanwhile, has tanked 17% over the past seven days as it struggles to keep gains due to economic uncertainty over Trump’s sweeping incoming tariffs.
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The US Securities and Exchange Commission, under former chair Gary Gensler, used settlements to pressure founders of decentralized finance platforms from ever working in the industry again, according to venture capital firm Founders Fund partner Joey Krug.
“The thing people don’t really know about is that the government, in many cases, went to founders of DeFi protocols […] and basically told the founders you effectively have to do a settlement with us,” Krug said on stage at the ETHDenver conference on Feb. 27.
“In many cases, they said you also have to sign a thing that says you will never work in crypto again,” he added. “By the way, this agreement, you can’t really talk about it publicly because there’s a non-disparagement clause.”
Krug’s claim adds to a crypto industry rumor dubbed “Operation Chokepoint 2.0” that says the Biden administration tried to kill the local industry through regulators’ enforcement actions and by pressuring banks to cut off or limit services to crypto firms.
“These agencies would basically go to the founders, and they would say, ‘Hey, if you don’t agree to this, you’re just going to end up in jail.’”
Krug said such civil agencies would have to defer to the Department of Justice for it to file criminal charges, but “none of these matters have been referred to the DOJ yet.” He also claimed that “none of these founders actually broke the law.”
Krug said that at first, he “didn’t really believe” such settlements existed, but some founders — who he didn’t name — later showed him their agreements.
Joey Krug (left) on stage with Axios’ Brady Dale (right) at ETHDenver 2025. Source: Turner Wright/Cointelegraph
“Sure enough, there are clauses that say you can never work in crypto again [and] you can’t talk about this to anyone,” he said.
“It was just a crazy, crazy administrative state that got really out of control.”
The SEC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Related: Saga CEO discusses crypto industry’s shift toward GOP — ETHDenver
Since 1972, the SEC has included a “gag rule” in its settlements that forbids defendants from criticizing the agency’s claims — a clause that Commissioner Hester Peirce has said “undermines regulatory integrity.”
Krug said the only way DeFi founders could comment on the settlements is if Congress asked them to testify. He added there are “a lot of founders who would love to talk about how the government basically really screwed them over if Congress asked them to testify.”
Earlier this month, the bank-regulating Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation released nearly 800 pages of so-called “pause letters” that it sent banks and finance firms over their crypto services.
Both the US House and Senate held hearings on crypto debanking in early February that heard from crypto executives on their claimed torrid dealings with trying to access financial services under the Biden administration.
Magazine: How crypto laws are changing across the world in 2025
Additional reporting by Turner Wright.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission says it does not view memecoins as securities but warned any fraudulent tokens could still be subject to enforcement actions by other regulators.
The agency’s Division of Corporation Finance said in a Feb. 27 statement that, in its view, memecoins “do not involve the offer and sale of securities under the federal securities laws” and “are akin to collectibles.”
“As such, persons who participate in the offer and sale of meme coins do not need to register their transactions with the Commission,” the SEC said.
It added that memecoin buyers and holders wouldn’t be protected by US securities laws but said the fraudulent offer and sale of memecoins “may be subject to enforcement action or prosecution by other federal or state agencies.”
The SEC added it shared its views “as part of an effort to provide greater clarity on the application of the federal securities laws to crypto assets.”
US President Donald Trump has moved to cull the SEC’s regulatory oversight of the crypto space, looking to make good on one of his campaign promises. The agency launched a Crypto Task Force last month to create a framework for digital assets.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump themselves had launched memecoins just days before they entered the White House on Jan. 20, which sparked criticism from many crypto commentators and some of Trump’s supporters.
Donald Trump’s memecoin, Official Trump (TRUMP), is down nearly 83% from its peak, while Melania Trump’s token, Melania Meme (MELANIA), is down 93.5% from its high, according to CoinGecko.
The TRUMP memecoin hit a peak of $73.43 a day before Trump assumed office but is now trading at around $12.66. Source: CoinGecko
The SEC’s statement comes after ABC News reported the same day that US House Democrats are set to introduce a bill banning public officials, including presidents, from being able to issue, sponsor or endorse any security, commodity or digital asset, including memecoins.
In its statement, the SEC said that memecoins “typically have limited or no use or functionality” and “tend to experience significant market price volatility.”
It added a memecoin doesn’t fit with “any of the common financial instruments specifically enumerated in the definition of ‘security’” — such as stocks or bonds — as they don’t give a yield or rights to “future income, profits, or assets of a business.”
The SEC said a memecoin doesn’t fit under the definition of an “investment contract” under the securities-defining Howey test — defined as money invested in a common enterprise, such as a business, where investors have an expectation of profiting from the efforts of others.
Related: Former CFTC lawyer says agency should take lead on memecoin regulations
“The offer and sale of meme coins does not involve an investment in an enterprise nor is it undertaken with a reasonable expectation of profits to be derived from the entrepreneurial or managerial efforts of others,” the agency said.
“In other words, a meme coin is not itself a security.”
The SEC added that its statement doesn’t apply to memecoins inconsistent with its description of one, or any products labeled as a memecoin in a bid to hide from securities laws “by disguising a product that otherwise would constitute a security.”
“The Division will evaluate the economic realities of the particular transaction,” it said.
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, who is leading the agency’s Crypto Task Force, said earlier this month that many memecoins “probably do not have a home in the SEC under our current set of regulations.”
X Hall of Flame: Memecoins will die and DeFi will rise again — Sasha Ivanov
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