The British military has hired US contractors to carry out spying missions over the Gaza Strip on behalf of the IDF due to a shortage of Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft, British outlet The Times reported on Wednesday.
The British government is paying a Nevada-based company to carry out spy flights over the enclave in order to look for hostages held by Hamas terrorists, British Defense Ministry (MoD) sources told the outlet.
The MoD refuses to officially confirm that they have hired the aircraft due to the "sensitive" nature of the mission. However, two MoD sources confirmed the lease agreement to The Times, but have made no comments on the length or cost of the agreement.
The aircraft's July flight path over Gaza's Khan Yunis was leaked due to a "schoolboy error," the report noted.
The RAF has been using Shadow R1 aircraft, based in RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, to carry out intelligence-gathering flights over Gaza, sharing the data with the IDF, the report noted. However, RAF sources confirmed to The Times that none of the eight Shadow R1s are currently stationed in RAF Akrotiri, as they have been assigned to other missions or are undergoing maintenance.
A previous report by The Times stated that the MoD confirmed that these missions were “still ongoing” despite an apparent lack of Shadow surveillance flights. The new report indicates that the ongoing missions were likely carried out by the leased aircraft rather than Shadow R1s.
The MoD's contract is with Straight Flight Nevada Commercial Leasing LLC, a subsidiary of the Sierra Nevada Corporation, one of the largest military contractors in the world. RAF pilots do not fly the aircraft hired from the US contractors, the report clarified.
Growing dissatisfaction at MoD over Israel-Hamas war, Gaza humanitarian concerns
The MoD and Britain's military disagree with the British Foreign Ministry over support for Israel, with the latter calling out Jerusalem for alleged "grotesque" treatment of Palestinians, and threatening sanctions. However, MoD's patience with Israel and the IDF "appears to be running out," according to The Times.
This is particularly after photographs emerged of allegedly starving Palestinians. Israel has repeatedly denied that Palestinians are starving, providing evidence that many of those photographed are suffering from severe illnesses that are not related to nutrition, such as cerebral palsy.
A senior British military source, who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity, said, "Instead of sending a message to Israel that we aren’t going to do surveillance for you, we are happy to hire an American company and pay for it.”