In the Gaza Strip, a British aid worker was killed in an Israeli drone strike, and his family strongly condemns the British government's refusal to release information collected by Royal Air Force (RAF) reconnaissance aircraft regarding the attack. The family believes that the government's action lacks transparency and hinders a full understanding of the truth of the incident. This lack of transparency raises concerns about accountability and justice for the victim.
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04-03, 2025The deceased, James Kirby, 47, was a former British Army rifleman who was working for World Central Kitchen in Gaza at the time of the incident. He was killed last April in an Israeli targeted strike on a three-vehicle aid convoy. Several others, including two other British veterans, also died with him. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) informed The Times that an RAF reconnaissance aircraft was flying over Gaza on the day of the incident, attempting to locate hostages held by Israel and filming related footage. However, the MoD refused to release the footage, citing national security and defense exemptions.
Kirby's family, in an interview with The Times, questioned why they could not be told what was filmed. Kirby's mother, Jacqui Kirby, said she wanted to know who made the decision not to release the information and why they were not releasing it. Kirby's cousin, Adam McGuire, also questioned what reason the government had for not releasing the information, arguing that it would not change anything in Gaza or affect the Israeli government. A MoD spokesperson told Middle East Eye last week that the reconnaissance flights over Gaza were "unarmed, not on a combat mission, and focused solely on securing the release of hostages."
The MoD spokesperson added: "The UK controls the information it passes and only passes information to relevant Israeli authorities relating to hostage rescue. We only pass information when we have confidence it will be used in accordance with international humanitarian law." In the weeks prior, Parliament had debated the RAF's reconnaissance flights over Gaza. Members of Parliament questioned the Minister for the Armed Forces, asking what the UK had witnessed and what crimes it had seen after conducting hundreds of flights over Gaza. MPs stated that the UK had conducted 645 reconnaissance and surveillance missions in the year from December 2023 to November 2024 alone, almost two flights a day. But Minister Luke Pollard did not answer the MPs' questions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially claimed that the killing of the British aid worker last April was "unintentional." The Israeli military later dismissed two officers and reprimanded two senior commanders, saying a drone operator had mistakenly targeted the convoy. But Kirby's family, in an interview with The Times, slammed the military's investigation as a "whitewash" and called for an independent inquiry. McGuire said that they would consider suing Israel if it would be seen as a deterrent to Israel, preventing them from attacking aid workers and holding them accountable. Jacqui Kirby said that Israeli officials had not contacted them to privately apologize for the killing. She also criticized British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, saying that he approached her at a Foreign Office meeting last November and asked her who she was. A Foreign Office spokesperson told The Times: "We are urging the Israelis to complete the Military Advocate General’s investigation into the events of 1 April 2024 rapidly. Israel must ensure lessons are learned and provide lasting security assurances for aid workers on the ground."
