UK to launch surveillance planes over Gaza to aid with hostage recovery

Britain’s defense minister announced over the weekend that the UK military will fly surveillance over Gaza to assist in locating captives held by Hamas since its attack on Israel on October 7.

Israeli officials claim that some 240 Israelis and foreign hostages were taken by Hamas fighters. Since then, some 110 have been set free, mostly as a result of a recent week-long truce.

The Israeli military said on Friday that it was back in the beleaguered Palestinian enclave, putting Hamas to blame. Expectations for the prompt release of the over 130 prisoners the Israeli army claims are still being kept in Gaza have been dashed by the start of hostilities.

According to British officials, at least 12 British nationals lost their lives in the October 7 assaults, which claimed the lives of around 1,200 people, the majority of them civilians. Five more people are currently unaccounted for.

However, the number of those being held by Hamas has not been verified.

Following the October 7 incident, Israel vowed to destroy the militant group. According to Hamas officials in Gaza, their ceaseless air and ground campaign has killed over 15,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilians.

London reiterated that its military surveillance flights over the territory would be unarmed and only focused on hostage recovery attempts, although it did not disclose when these flights would begin.

“The UK Ministry of Defense will conduct surveillance flights over the Eastern Mediterranean, including operating in air space over Israel and Gaza, in support of the ongoing hostage rescue activity,” the statement read.

The ministry further stated that “surveillance aircraft will be unarmed, do not have a combat role, and will be tasked solely to locate hostages.”

“Only pertinent information about hostage rescues will be forwarded to the appropriate authorities.”

The BBC was informed on Sunday by UK government minister Victoria Atkins that the planes to be used were “unarmed and unmanned drones.”

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In an effort to prevent “any malign interference in the conflict,” the UK and the US sent a variety of military assets to the eastern Mediterranean in October.