THE UK Government has admitted that it has footage from a RAF spy plane that was flying over Gaza as a group of aid workers were killed by the Israeli military – but has refused to release it.
The UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) told The Times that this was due to national security and defence exemptions.
The family of one of the UK aid workers who was killed by the drone strike has slammed the Labour Government over the issue.
James Kirby (below), a 47-year-old former British Army rifleman, was working in Gaza for the World Central Kitchen (WCK) when he was killed last April – dying alongside several others, including two other UK veterans, when an Israeli drone attack struck the charity’s convoy.
"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.
Adam Maguire, Kirby’s cousin, added: "What justification do they have for not making it public? It’s not going to change the course of anything in Gaza. It’s not going to affect the Israeli government."
An MoD spokesperson previously told the Middle East Eye that RAF flights over Gaza "are unarmed, do not have a combat role, and are solely focussed on securing the release of the hostages".
They added: "The UK controls what information is passed on and only information relating to hostage rescue is passed to the relevant Israeli authorities. We will only pass information where we are satisfied that it will be used in accordance with international humanitarian law."
The UK Government has stressed that Israel’s military must conclude their investigation.
However, another cousin of Kirby’s, Louise, said the family wanted a “formal, in-depth investigation” to be carried out by the UK Government and with evidence presented in an unbiased court to ensure “full transparency and accountability”.
