A UK spy plane was deployed from the British military base in Cyprus on Monday, flying toward Gaza just hours before the UK government joined 31 other nations in calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict.
Data from flight-tracking service Flightradar24 shows a Shadow R1 reconnaissance jet taking off from RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, on a mission lasting nearly six hours. However, there is a gap in the tracking data for almost five hours while the plane was heading in the direction of Gaza, leaving its exact movements during that time unclear.
The Shadow R1 is a specialised aircraft used for comprehensive intelligence gathering, and previous UK spy planes have been reported flying over Gaza as part of intelligence operations supporting Israel.
The Ministry of Defence has been asked to clarify whether this flight included surveillance over Gaza and to explain the nature of Britain’s military assistance to Israel.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated last week that while the UK is conducting intelligence flights, the information gathered is not being shared with the Israeli military to aid their operations.
“We are not assisting and it would be quite wrong for the British government to assist in the prosecution of this war in Gaza,” Lammy said.
This statement contrasts with earlier reports, including one from The New York Times, which noted that UK and US intelligence had been used in past hostage rescue missions.
The government’s stance has faced criticism from MPs. Former Tory Cabinet minister Kit Malthouse warned that the UK risks complicity in war crimes by remaining inactive, while Labour’s Andy McDonald urged for concrete action rather than repeated calls for ceasefires.
Lammy acknowledged the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and expressed regret that a ceasefire had not yet been achieved despite international pressure.
The deployment of UK reconnaissance flights amid escalating conflict and simultaneous diplomatic calls for peace highlights the complex balancing act faced by the British government in managing military support and diplomatic relations in the region.
