in-cyprus 8 August 2025
Britain has conducted over 600 surveillance flights over Gaza from Cyprus since December 2023, transferring operations to US contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation in July, the Guardian reported on Thursday.
According to the Guardian, Britain’s Royal Air Force initially operated Shadow aircraft from Akrotiri at approximately two flights daily, later reducing to one daily mission under the current Labour government, according to specialist flight tracking data.
Operations transitioned to Sierra Nevada Corporation in late July for cost reduction purposes, though operational security was compromised when the contractor’s aircraft was publicly tracked over Khan Younis on July 28.
Parliamentary opposition
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn termed continued UK-Israel military cooperation “utterly indefensible,” stating: “We still don’t know why these flights are continuing and what intelligence is being provided.”
Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson Helen Maguire demanded government clarification on preventing Israeli military use of UK-sourced intelligence, while supporting hostage location efforts.
Labour backbencher Kim Johnson described continued surveillance as “deeply concerning” given ongoing questions about purpose and oversight.
UK Government response
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated last month: “It would be quite wrong for the British government to assist in the prosecution of this war in Gaza. We are not doing that.”
The Ministry of Defence confirmed conducting unarmed surveillance flights for hostage location purposes while controlling information sharing with Israeli authorities.
Operational details
Defence sources told the Guardian that aircraft operations target “individual buildings” seeking signs of life from approximately 20 remaining hostages. RAF Shadows provide optical surveillance capabilities supporting day and night operations.
Flight tracking analyst Steffan Watkins confirmed security measures tightened following the July tracking incident, complicating subsequent monitoring efforts.
Military sources told the Guardian that standard intelligence sharing procedures involve political adviser and legal review processes that last varying timeframes. Former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps announced the programme in December 2023.
Israeli forces have rescued eight hostages since October 2023 using combined intelligence sources.
(Source: The Guardian)
