Exclusive: MPs urge UK to disclose if it holds spy plane footage of Israel's journalist killings

The British government faces mounting scrutiny over its military cooperation with Israel after the targeted killing of six journalists in an Israeli strike on Sunday.

Anas al-Sharif, Middle East Eye contributor Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, who all worked for Al Jazeera, and freelancers Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed al-Khalidi were the latest among 238 journalists killed by Israel during its genocide in Gaza.

Aircraft from Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) have conducted hundreds of surveillance flights over Gaza in the last two years.

Last week, it emerged that the UK has recently been spending taxpayers' money to hire American contractors for surveillance flights over Gaza.

Scotland's The National reported on Wednesday that flight radar data shows a spy plane registered under the code N6147U was active at the RAF Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus two hours before the Israeli strike which killed the journalists on Sunday night.

But there is no visible flight path, indicating the plane's transponder was turned off when it flew over Gaza, which has been standard practice during British surveillance flights. 

Middle East Eye asked the Ministry of Defence (MoD) whether it holds information gathered by a spy plane over Gaza on 10 August, the day the journalists were killed, and if so, whether it would share that information with any international body investigating the killings.

The MoD did not respond.

"We cannot keep dodging questions about the use of spy planes," Labour MP Kim Johnson told MEE.

"Transparency on such a serious matter is a democratic obligation," she said. 

"If these aircraft are gathering intelligence, the public has a right to know who it is shared with and why. Refusing to answer raises serious concerns about accountability and oversight."

'It is time for the truth'

Independent MP Ayoub Khan told MEE: "Secrecy in the face of the killing of journalists is a disgrace. It is time for the truth.

"The government must be absolutely transparent about any intelligence it gathered before and during the events of 10 August.

Khan said that if the UK was sharing intelligence with Israel, "it raises profound legal, moral and political questions".

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He added that the government was "hiding behind the veil of 'operational confidentiality' to withhold even basic information about surveillance missions".

"The government's silence is not neutral; it actively enables the targeting of civilians and journalists."

MEE revealed last week that the MoD refused to disclose whether it holds video footage taken by RAF planes of two Israeli attacks in Gaza on British citizens or volunteers working for British charities.

The MoD cited national security and defence exemptions in its response to MEE.

Officials at the ministry had previously confirmed they hold information gathered by spy planes on Israeli attacks.

The MoD has been widely criticised for not disclosing such information. 

In April this year, the family of British aid worker James Kirby, who was killed by an Israeli drone strike in April 2024, slammed the government for refusing to release information about the attack gathered by an RAF spy plane. 

The MoD told The Times it had footage from a RAF spy plane that was flying over Gaza trying to locate Israeli captives on the day of the strike. 

The Kirby family questioned why they were not allowed to be informed about what was filmed.

'Secrecy in the face of the killing of journalists is a disgrace'

 - Ayoub Khan MP

"I want to know who's made that decision not to make it public and why they haven't," Kirby's mother Jacqui Kirby said.

The MoD has repeatedly insisted surveillance flights over Gaza are in support of "hostage rescue".

Labour MP Johnson told MEE on Wednesday: "The UK must end all intelligence sharing with Israel while it carries out its genocidal actions that have caused mass civilian deaths and clear breaches of international humanitarian law.

"Continuing this risks making the UK complicit in war crimes."