The British military is continuing to fly spy planes over Gaza to help Israel find missing hostages as Palestinian civilians are starved and killed, government sources have confirmed to The Times.
Intelligence gathered by undisclosed RAF aircraft and other British assets in the region is being handed over to the Israeli military so it has up-to-date information on the movement of captured Israelis.
The Ministry of Defence refused to disclose which aircraft were currently being used to help find the hostages, as Israel prepared to announce an updated Gaza war plan designed to secure their release.
Flight tracking data showed Shadow R1s have flown hundreds of missions over Gaza, as recently as last month, before taking off from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
The Shadow R1, the RAF’s specialist surveillance plane, is equipped with high-definition electro-optical and electronic sensors to gather data.
The technology is sophisticated enough to examine vehicle convoys, streets, apartment blocks and zoom in on specific movements.
The MoD confirmed that British military surveillance flights were “still ongoing” over Gaza despite an apparent lack of Shadow surveillance flights in recent days.
An RAF source said they understood the Shadow aircraft had returned to Britain, yet it remained unclear to which aircraft they had handed over the surveillance activities.
The MoD is yet to respond to whether it is currently paying private contractors for use of their aircraft for the secretive Gaza mission.
More than 49 hostages out of 251 originally taken on October 7, 2023, are still being held in Gaza, according to Israel, 20 of whom are believed to be alive, including one Israeli who has a British mother.
The Hamas-led attack sparked an Israeli assault on Gaza which has led to the death of 61,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, widespread starvation, as well as accusations of genocide by Israel.
The destruction of Gaza seen from above
JEHAD SHELBAK/REUTERS
Britain’s previously close relations with Israel are at an all-time low, after the Labour government sanctioned far-right Israeli ministers and announced it would recognise a Palestinian state if Israel did not improve life in the Gaza Strip.
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, said he was “appalled, sickened” by the “grotesque” targeting of starving Palestinians seeking food by the Israeli military and has threatened further sanctions.
However, although diplomatic ties were fractious, British armed forces have continued to help Israel with its military mission.
Britain has been flying its surveillance aircraft over Gaza to help find the hostages since the war began in October 2023.
The Shadow is flown by 14 Squadron, based at RAF Waddington, in Lincolnshire, and its motto is written in Arabic. A quote taken from the Quran, it says: “I spread my wings and keep my promise.”
• The starvation of Gaza and Israel’s role, in maps, charts and video
Since then RAF aircraft have flown almost daily missions, watching the war from the skies above, gathering sensitive information on ground movements.
The MoD said that intelligence shared with Israel was purely for the purposes of locating hostages.
Former Major General Charlie Herbert, who served in the British Army for 35 years, said: “It’s all good and proper saying they are handing over intelligence for the purposes for locating hostages, but in reality that intelligence is just as likely to be used as targeting for Hamas and others.”
The timing and frequency of the flights also raised questions about what atrocities British military pilots had borne witness to in the past 20 months.
The Poseidon P8 maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft and the RAF Rivet Joint electronic surveillance aircraft have also operated in the region. The Rivet Joint’s sensors “soak up” electronic emissions from communications, radar and other systems, according to the RAF.
The government previously said it would consider providing intelligence gathered from surveillance flights over Gaza to the International Criminal Court if requested.
Israel’s prime minister, Binyamen Netanyahu, prepared on Tuesday to announce an updated Gaza war plan designed to destroy Hamas and secure the release of hostages, with Israeli media reporting he would order the total occupation of the Palestinian territory.
The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, said Israel must take “all necessary actions” to defeat Hamas, adding that he would present Netanyahu with a plan to achieve it.
“The defeat of Hamas in Gaza, along with creating the conditions for the return of the hostages, are the main objectives of the war in Gaza and we must take all necessary actions to achieve them,” Katz said during a visit to an army position in Gaza.
Western leaders have condemned this week videos of emaciated Israeli hostages filmed by their captors in Gaza.
The Ministry of Defence said: “Since early December 2023, the RAF has routinely conducted unarmed surveillance flights over Gaza for the sole purpose of locating hostages. The UK controls what information is passed to Israeli authorities and only information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the relevant authority.
“We do not comment on operational detail for security reasons.”
The Israeli military declined to comment.