RAF planes assist Israel in Gaza hostage search despite tense relations over war

The Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft. Photo / UK Ministry of Defence

British military aircraft are flying over Gaza to help Israel find missing hostages, even as the UK condemns Israel’s actions in the war-torn region.

Intelligence gathered by RAF planes is “routinely” shared with the Israelis, who use the information to track captured hostages, the Ministry of Defence told the Telegraph.

Hundreds of missions have been flown by Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft over Gaza since the war broke out in October 2023, including last month.

The news came as Benjamin Netanyahu considered plans to fully occupy the Palestinian territory.

A senior Israeli official was quoted in Israeli media as saying: “The die has been cast. We’re going for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip – and defeating Hamas.”

Around 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are thought to still be alive. Their families fear that plans to take over the Strip could endanger their loved ones.

Israel’s allies are also thought to be opposed to Netanyahu’s plans, and pressure is growing on the Jewish state to wind down its military campaign and alleviate the humanitarian crisis it has caused.

The Government has sanctioned a number of hard-right Israeli ministers and threatened to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September unless conditions in the enclave improve.

David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said he was “sickened” by reports of Israeli troops firing at Palestinians at aid distribution centres.

Britain has supported Israel’s military operations in Gaza by overflying the strip to help find hostages since October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1200 Israelis in a terror attack.

RAF aircraft have flown nearly daily missions, gathering intelligence the MoD says is used solely to locate hostages.

The RAF’s Shadow R1 plane is equipped with electronic sensors that gather data on the ground in Gaza.

It is used to identify vehicle convoys, residential buildings and zoom in on individual movement in the Gaza Strip.

An RAF source told the Times that the Shadow R1 aircraft had returned to Britain. It is unclear which planes have taken over intelligence gathering.

A spokesman for 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.”