British surveillance flights over Gaza and Israel have officially come to an end following the agreement of a long-awaited peace plan between Israel and Hamas, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The MOD said the missions, which began in December 2023, were launched in direct response to the 7 October terrorist attacks against Israel, assaults which included the kidnapping of hostages, among them British citizens.
Unarmed missions focused on hostage rescue
Operating over the Eastern Mediterranean and within Israeli and Gazan airspace, the UK aircraft carried out unarmed surveillance sorties aimed solely at helping locate hostages.
Defence officials stressed that the flights had “no combat role”, with intelligence sharing limited strictly to information relevant to hostage recovery.
All data gathered was, according to the department, “tightly controlled” and shared only with Israeli authorities when it could directly assist rescue efforts.
The final UK surveillance flight took place on 10 October 2025, shortly after the announcement of the Gaza ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages.
A “moment of profound relief”
Defence Secretary John Healey described the peace plan and the end of operations as a “moment of profound relief” for both the people of Gaza and the families of Israeli hostages.
“This is a moment of profound relief, for the civilian population of Gaza, for the Israeli hostages and their families, who have all endured unimaginable suffering,” Healey said.
He praised the professionalism of British service personnel involved in the surveillance missions, saying he was “proud of the UK’s efforts to support the safe return of the hostages.”
Healey added that the safe return of hostages and restoration of aid were “critical first steps toward achieving a lasting peace.”
A measured close to a tense mission
The UK’s surveillance role had been one of quiet but significant support in a volatile region. While Britain’s aircraft never engaged in combat, their intelligence played a part in mapping hostage movements and supporting rescue planning.
Now, with the peace plan in place and hostages freed, defence officials say the end of flights marks the conclusion of a delicate but vital operation, one that balanced humanitarian intent with military precision.
