THE UK Government has sent a spy plane over Gaza at the same time a ship carrying vital aid is under threat from Israel.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition's Madleen vessel set off for Gaza on June 1 to deliver humanitarian assistance and is currently sailing in international waters off the coast of Egypt. On Sunday, Israel's defence secretary Israel Katz instructed the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to intercept the ship if it continues towards Gaza.
Katz said earlier on Sunday: "I have instructed the IDF to act so that the Madleen does not reach Gaza. To the anti-semitic Greta and her friends, I say clearly: You should turn back, because you will not reach Gaza.
"The State of Israel will not allow anyone to violate the naval blockade on Gaza, the primary purpose of which is to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hamas, a murderous terror organisation that holds our hostages and commits war crimes."
The crew of the Madleen have repeatedly called on the UK Government to offer "protection", given the ship is flying a UK flag.
Despite this, at 5.02pm on Sunday, the UK’s Cyprus base RAF Akrotiri sent a spy plane to surveil the Palestinian region. The aircraft landed back at the base at 9.28pm.
Publicly available flight data shows that a Shadow R1 – a plane described by the RAF as capable of “comprehensive intelligence gathering” that is “particularly valuable to ground commanders” – flew towards Gaza before information transponders were cut off.
Journalist Matt Kennard shared a graphic which showed the flight path and stated: "Britain sends another spy flight from RAF Akrotiri over Gaza to collect intelligence for 'I$rael' as the Madleen is threatened by the regime."
— Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) June 8, 2025
The identity code of the Shadow R1 – RFR7144 – has previously been reported as used in the UK’s surveillance operations of the Palestinian region. Public data shows the aircraft last departed from RAF Akrotiri on June 4.
In June 2024, the UK Defence Journal reported that the RAF had conducted more than 250 surveillance flights near Gaza since December 3, 2023.
The outlet reported that RFR7145, another Shadow R1, had been “leading the operations”.
The National reported how the RFR7144 was seen on a mission on May 20, just hours after Foreign Secretary David Lammy described Israel’s actions in the region as “monstrous” as he announced the suspension of a new free trade deal with Israel.
At the time of writing, the Madleen continues to sail along the Egyptian coast. It is carrying 12 civilian volunteers, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has called on governments around the world to urge safe passage for the Madleen. Earlier on Sunday, independent MP and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the ship "is not just carrying life-saving aid" but it is also "carrying solidarity, hope and our shared humanity".
The Foreign Office continues to advise British nationals not to enter Gaza. It is understood that the UK Government believes any Israeli actions must be in line with international law, and that the United Nations, alongside other humanitarian agencies, should be allowed to deliver aid into Gaza.
The Ministry of Defence previously told The National: “Since early December 2023, the Royal Air Force has routinely conducted unarmed surveillance flights over Gaza for the sole purpose of locating hostages.
"The UK controls what information is passed to Israeli authorities and only information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the relevant authority.”
The UK Government has been approached again for comment.
