The British newspaper “The Independent” revealed that British Royal Air Force spy planes have been flying over the Gaza Strip since December 2023, to help locate Israeli prisoners held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
It reported that the intelligence information collected by these aircraft could be used as evidence against Israel before the International Criminal Court at its headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands.
She indicated that British reconnaissance aircraft carried out almost daily sorties over the Gaza Strip, which is 40 kilometers long, in an attempt to help the Israelis find their prisoners held by Hamas since October 7, 2023.
But any videos or photos taken by those planes of suspected war crimes committed by Israel or Hamas could be handed over to the International Criminal Court.
Pictures can be submitted
According to the newspaper, a military source had previously told the British newspaper The Times that London would provide the International Criminal Court with the photos. He said: “If the International Criminal Court came to us and said: We believe there is a war crime in this region, and if you have any video footage, will the British government provide that? The answer is yes, absolutely.”
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court had requested the issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Defense Minister Yoav Galant, and a number of Hamas leaders last May, but the court’s judges have not yet approved them.
Regarding the type of aircraft that flew in the skies of Gaza, the Independent said that it is not clear what model or number they were, but it indicated that a “Shadow R1” aircraft, equipped with high-definition electro-optical and electronic sensors to collect data, was operating. Currently in the area.