Israel-Hamas war: UK to conduct surveillance over Israel, Gaza to search for Hamas hostage sites

The British defence ministry said on Saturday (Dec 2) that it would conduct surveillance flights over Israel and Gaza to search for hostage locations used by Hamas. In a statement, the defence ministry said, “In support of the ongoing hostage rescue activity, the UK Ministry of Defence will conduct surveillance flights over the Eastern Mediterranean, including operating in air space over Israel and Gaza.”

The ministry said that the surveillance aircraft would be unarmed, adding they would not have a combat role, and would be tasked solely to locate hostages. “Only information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the relevant authorities responsible for hostage rescue,” the statement added.

The ministry also said that it had been working with partners across the region to secure the release of hostages, including British nationals, who were kidnapped. “The safety of British nationals is our utmost priority,” it said.

Twelve British nationals have been killed since the war between Israel and Hamas started on Oct 7, Downing Street said, adding five were still missing. According to a report by The Guardian, some of the missing British nationals were believed to have been kidnapped, but the government did not confirm how many.

A week after the conflict started, the government announced that military units would be deployed to the eastern Mediterranean “to support Israel, reinforce regional stability and prevent escalation”.

On Friday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met Jordan’s King Abdullah II and said that Britain continued to press Israel on the need to adhere to International Humanitarian Law and contain settler violence in the West Bank.

“The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s commitment to working towards a lasting resolution to the conflict which delivers dignity, peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians,” Sunak’s office said in a statement. 

Sunak’s remarks came as fighting renewed between Israel and Hamas following the expiration of a week-long truce that started on Nov 24. Since the truce ended, the Israeli military said that it conducted more than 400 strikes, with Hamas saying at least 240 people had been killed, the news agency AFP reported.

Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip continued on Sunday. Hamas said that at least seven people were killed in an Israeli bombing early Sunday near Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.

(With inputs from agencies)