British Air Force Stops Spy Plane Flights Over Gaza

JAKARTA - Britain has stopped flights of air force reconnaissance aircraft (RAF) over the Gaza Strip, Palestine, after two years of questioning about its operational coverage.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Shadow R2 aircraft was used to search for hostages after the plane was deployed with Israeli permission in December 2023.

Only intelligence related to the hostage-taking carried out by Hamas was given to Israel, the ministry said.

"The British government strictly controls what information is being passed on and only information related to the rescue of hostages is forwarded to the relevant Israeli authorities." he said, launching The National October 17.

The ministry also confirmed that the double turboprop aircraft "is always unarmed, has no combat role, and is only tasked with finding hostages".

Defense experts questioned what assistance the more than 700 flights provided while Israel carried out mass surveillance in Gaza from drones, aircraft, and ground forces.

Israel has been carrying out "the most intensive surveillance in Gaza" for two decades, military analyst Tim Badminton said.

"I have difficulty understanding what will increase intelligence costs if one of the planes flies over Gaza for three hours every afternoon, because finding Hamas fighters or hostages underground is like looking for needles in a straw pile," explained Defence Eye editor.

"However, they have a broad view of the place being flattened," he said.

The plane, which can also pick up intelligence signals including phone and radio calls, as well as WhatsApp messages, will fly up to twice a day from RAF airbase in Akrotiri, Cyprus.

With a range of more than 3,000 km, the plane can remain airborne for a mission that lasts several hours, usually with cameras directed at each building where the hostages may be trapped.