UK ends Gaza surveillance flights after return of hostages

London [UK], October 17: The United Kingdom has ended its surveillance flights over Gaza following the release of Hamas-held hostages, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. British surveillance aircraft had been conducting flights over Gaza since December 2023, with the UK government saying they were "tasked solely to locate hostages." On Thursday, the MoD announced that the flights had ended with the agreement of a US-brokered peace plan on Monday that brought the release of the remaining 20 living hostages. The last flight took place on October 10, three days before the peace deal was formally signed. Defence Secretary John Healey said he was "proud of the UK's efforts to support the safe return of the hostages, and the professionalism of our service personnel involved." He added: "The safe return of all hostages, along with the immediate restoration of aid, are critical first steps in efforts to securing a lasting peace." Pro-Palestinian groups have criticized the flights, claiming that they could have been used to provide intelligence for Israeli combat operations in Gaza. The MoD has maintained that the surveillance aircraft were "always unarmed" and had no combat role.
Source: Qatar Tribune