When the phone rang early on the morning of 7 October 2023, Humza Yousaf, then First Minister of Scotland, felt a cold knot of fear he would never forget. On the line was his wife’s mother, Elizabeth, calling from Gaza. She and her husband Maged had travelled there to visit Maged’s ailing mother – and in one terrible day, a peaceful family visit had turned into a fight for survival. What followed was a month that tested every part of him: as a husband, a son-in-law, a father, and the elected leader of a nation. That extraordinary, heart-wrenching journey lies at the heart of his powerful new book, Under Fire.
A NIGHTMARE UNFOLDS
Yousaf lays bare the agony of those weeks: the frantic calls, the endless waiting, the gut-wrenching silence when phone lines went dead without warning. He recounts how he reached out repeatedly to the British government for urgent help to bring his family home – only to be met with silence, delays, or empty assurances. Left with no other choice, he began working around official channels, coordinating with diplomats and officials from other nations to find a way through closed borders and active conflict zones.
Every day brought fresh terror: reports of airstrikes shaking their neighbourhood, buildings collapsing nearby, and thousands trapped with nowhere to run and little food or water. All the while, he sat beside his wife and their young children, doing his best to shield them from the worst news while clinging to every fragment of hope that Elizabeth and Maged would make it out alive.
PUBLIC DUTY, PRIVATE PAIN
Yet his private battle played out against an unyielding public duty. While fighting to save his own family, he remained First Minister for everyone in Scotland. He had to lead the nation through the shock of unfolding events, speak to communities reeling from the news, and personally reach out to reassure Scotland’s Jewish community – who were living with their own fear and grief after the attacks.
At the same time, he faced a relentless torrent of online abuse, bad-faith criticism, and attempts to cast doubt on his ability to lead fairly. Through it all, he refused to be drawn into division: he stood firm against hate of every kind, and insisted that grief and suffering are universal, no matter who bears it or where it falls.
Thankfully, after weeks of agony, Elizabeth and Maged were finally able to cross the Rafah border into safety in Egypt – but the experience left an indelible mark on every part of him.
MORE THAN A ESCAPE STORY
Under Fire tells far more than just the story of their escape. It weaves that searing personal crisis together with the wider story of how a son of Pakistani immigrants grew up in Dundee, faced prejudice and doubt at every turn, and rose to become the first Muslim leader of a country in Western Europe.
He writes openly about what it means to carry two cultures, to live with faith and pride in your heritage while giving your whole self to the nation you call home. He warns honestly about the dangers of rising far-right populism, of voices that seek to divide us along lines of race, faith or background, and of the damage done when leaders trade empathy for anger.
Above all, he argues that true leadership is not about power or position – it is about holding fast to your humanity even when the pressure is overwhelming. It means balancing deep personal loyalty with a duty to serve all people, regardless of their identity or beliefs.
A MESSAGE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES
For British Asian communities across the UK this book resonates deeply. It is a reminder that our leaders are people first; that families everywhere share the same hopes and fears; and that representation matters most when it is tested by fire.
It is also a call to action: to stand together against division, to demand compassion from those who govern us, and to never forget that every life is precious.
Under Fire is more than a memoir or a political account. It is the story of ordinary people caught in extraordinary times, of courage in the face of despair, and of what it takes to lead with heart. In an age of conflict and polarisation, it is an urgent reminder that empathy is not weakness – it is the very foundation of a fairer, safer and more united world.
