Britain conducts surveillance flights over Gaza primarily to locate hostages held by Hamas, with over 600 flights logged since December 2023. Operations commenced under the Conservative government and have continued under Labour. These flights, initially two daily, have recently settled to one. The US contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation took over surveillance in late July to cut costs, despite complications in flight tracking due to heightened security measures. RAF Shadows are utilized for optical surveillance to gather critical information regarding the hostages' status, amidst increasing scrutiny regarding military cooperation with Israel.
Britain's RAF Shadow aircraft have executed over 600 surveillance flights over Gaza since December 2023, primarily to locate remaining hostages held by Hamas.
Surveillance operations initially operated under Conservative leadership have persisted under Labour, with the RAF's contracted operations now involving a US contractor to assist flight logistics.
After a significant security breach in late July, RAF flights became confirmable over Gaza, revealing ongoing aerial operations that were previously more discreet.
Key operations involve direct visual surveillance of Gaza structures to assess the status of hostages, emphasizing the UK's military engagement and intelligence-sharing with Israel.
Collection
[
|
...
]