The Ministry of Defence have detailed Royal Air Force’s operations into Israel and have confirmed that no British forces are involved in combat in Gaza.
In response, James Heappey, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, provided specific details, stating, “As of 27 November 2023, the RAF have flown a total of 32 flights from RAF Akrotiri to Israel.”
He elaborated that these operations included “the assisted departure of British Nationals from Israel, the continued movement of materials required to sustain our diplomatic mission to Tel Aviv; and the transportation of Ministers and senior officials conducting diplomatic engagements with Israeli interlocutors.”
hese operations, as clarified by the Minister, were undertaken for several non-combative purposes:
Evacuation of British Nationals: A significant portion of these flights was dedicated to assisting British citizens in Israel.
Support for Diplomatic Missions: The RAF also transported materials essential for sustaining the UK’s diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv.
/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/AEZXUPJ4UZJTRIX2RTRRZ5MQLY.jpg)
Transport of High-Level Officials: These flights facilitated the movement of ministers and senior officials for diplomatic engagements with Israeli representatives, underlining the UK’s commitment to maintaining robust diplomatic relations in the region.
MacAskill also inquired about the UK military’s role in Gaza. Addressing this, Minister Heappey explicitly stated, “The UK military has not been involved in combat operations in Gaza.”
