CrossFireArarbia

Britain Hires US Jet to Spy Over Gaza

CrossFireArabia
August 7, 2025

The British military has secretly hired a US private company to conduct aerial surveillance over Gaza in search of Israeli soldier prisoners, according to The Times.

Due to a shortage of available RAF reconnaissance planes, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) turned to a Nevada-based firm, Straight Flight Nevada Commercial Leasing LLC. The company is a subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation, one of the largest US military contractors.

The aircraft used, a Boeing Beech King Air 350i registered as N6147U, flew over southern Gaza on July 28. Its flight path was unintentionally revealed after the crew failed to switch off the transponder. This mistake exposed the plane’s presence over Khan Yunis, raising questions about Britain’s role in supporting Israeli operations.

Two UK defence sources confirmed to The Times that the government is paying for the aircraft and its missions. The plane is contractor-owned and operated, meaning British pilots are not flying it. The MoD has declined to disclose the cost or duration of the contract.

Sources say the MoD’s own fleet of Shadow R1 aircraft, which previously flew over Gaza, is either undergoing maintenance or assigned to other missions. One source described the outsourcing as a “privatization” of military intelligence and called it “shocking.”

“This is about supporting Israel,” a senior British military official told The Times. “Instead of sending a message that we’re pulling back, we’re hiring American contractors to do the job.”

Between December 2023 and July 2025, the RAF’s Shadow fleet reportedly carried out over 600 surveillance flights over Gaza. Intelligence gathered during those missions was shared with Israel to allegely help locate israeli soldier prisoners according to the Quds News Network.

Opinion

Trump, Witkoff Need To Stop The Netanyahu Tune

CrossFireArabia
August 7, 2025

By Michael Jansen

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has said, “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza.” Israel has enabled “humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza – otherwise, there would be no Gazans.”

However, Gaza’s government media office told Al-Jazeera that only 674 aid trucks have entered Gaza since Israel eased restrictions on July 27, averaging just 84 laden trucks per day. This is only 14 per cent of needs as humanitarian organisations say at least 600 trucks of water, food, medicine and fuel are required at a minimum.

Echoing Netanyahu, US regional envoy Steve Wikoff proclaimed there is “no starvation” in Gaza after a brief visit to one of the aid delivery hubs in the Strip. “There is hardship but no starvation,” he said. His assessment appeared to contradict his boss Donald Trump who had said there is “real starvation.”

“Once we refute this Hamas claim, we can continue new actions to end the war and bring back all the hostages” held by Hamas, Witkoff said. He added that Trump believes piecemeal deals do not work and so a new arrangement is needed that would free the hostages all at once.

However, Witkoff argued that only Hamas “total surrender” and disarmament would be accepted. Writing in Haaretz daily on 2 August, Amir Tibon decries Netanyahu’s decision to carry on with the war, despite opposition from most Israelis and Israel’s foreign friends. “Israel’s military leadership admits today that the last five months have been a wasted effort, and that it would have been preferable for Israel to continue the January 2025 ceasefire, get the rest of the hostages out of Gaza in an agreement, and conclude the war.”

He is sharply critical of the Trump administration which “gave Netanyahu total backing for this disastrous policy, including his decision to block all aid from coming into Gaza, which caused the humanitarian crisis there. “Consequently, Witkoff’s latest visit has been met with popular Israeli “disappointment over the Trump administration’s failure to rein in Netanyahu and bring the Gaza war to an end.”

This means that there will be no quick fix under pressure from starvation even though Israelis held captive by Hamas are suffering the same lack of nourishment as their captors. The International Committee of the Red Cross has been asked to provide food for the captives but not the 2.3 million hungry Palestinians in Gaza.

Witkoff has been contradicted by the UN-supported Integrated Food Security Phase Classification” (IPC) which has warned that “the worse-case scenario of famine” is unfolding as 60,000 Palestinians died from bombs and bullets and an untold toll, especially among children, is being gripped by hunger and malnourishment. IPC called for a ceasefire to avert further “catastrophic human suffering.” The total number of people who have died from hunger-related causes since the start of the war in October 2023 has risen to more than 181, including 94 children. This does not include the 1,400 who have been killed by Israeli army fire when trying to secure aid at the highly controversial US-Israel Gaza Humanitarian Foundation which has not alleviated starvation but given a false image of US and Israeli efforts to deliver food.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the IPC alert “confirms what we have heard. The facts are in and they are undeniable. Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions. This is not a warning. It is a reality unfolding before our eyes.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared it was “beyond comprehension” for Israel to claim starvation was not an issue in Gaza and accused Israel of breaching international law by blocking aid.

Netanyahu is personally responsible for torpedoing January’s ceasefire agreement which would have led to the release of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, Israel military withdrawal from Gaza, and an end to the war. Instead on 2 March, he imposed the blockade and on 18 March, he resumed the war. Tibon summed up, “Netanyahu, for political reasons, chose to blow up the deal, restart the war, and bring us to where we are today: Our hostages are being starved and tortured, our soldiers are dying, and the entire world is turning against us due to the broader humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.”

As the 15 August 20th anniversary approaches of the beginning of Israel’s withdrawal of settlers and soldiers from Gaza, 600 retired Israeli security officials have written to Trump to ask him to pressure Netanyahu to end the war. This group included former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo, former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and former Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon.

Ayalon argued: “At first this war was a just war, a defensive war, but when we achieved all military objectives, this war ceased to be a just war…It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel,” the officials stated. “Your credibility with the vast majority of Israelis augments your ability to steer [Netanyahu] and his government in the right direction: End the war, return the hostages, stop the suffering.”

On the political front, this policy has contributed to decisions by Britain, France, Canada and half a dozen other countries to recognize the state of Palestine during next month’s opening of the 80th UN General Assembly session. Although recognized by 147 of the 193 UN members, many Western countries have delayed recognition. The addition of Britain and France will mean four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (which includes China and Russia) will recognize Palestine while the US will remain the outlier as it is on any effort to criticize or rein in Israel.

Michael Jansen is a columnist for The Jordan Times

News

Open Letter to End The Gaza Genocide

CrossFireArabia
August 6, 2025

What follows below is an open letter in the British Lancet called “Break The Selective Silence on The Genocide in Gaza.”

Substantial and well-documented evidence indicates a catastrophic public health emergency in Gaza (appendix pp 1–5), marked by severe food insecurity and alarming levels of malnutrition-related deaths.1 Life expectancy at birth reportedly declined by approximately 35 years in 2024.2 This represents a greater collapse in longevity than that recorded during the genocide in Rwanda, where life expectancy at birth declined from age 42·9 years in 1993 to age 12·2 years in 1994.3

Palestinian children have been disproportionately affected. Since October 7, 2023, Gaza has recorded more child deaths than any other conflict zone and has the highest number of children with amputations per person in the world.4 The health-care system has also been systematically dismantled. Between October, 2023 and May, 2025, there were 720 documented attacks on health-care targets, including 125 health facilities, 34 hospitals, and 186 ambulances.5 Gaza has recorded the highest numbers of health-care worker fatalities (over 1400 deaths), UN staff deaths (295 deaths), and journalist fatalities (212 deaths) in any recent conflict zone.6

Starvation is being used repeatedly and relentlessly as a weapon of war.7 Leading human rights organisations, UN agencies, and UN Special Rapporteurs have officially recognised the genocide in Gaza.8 This position is also supported by a broad and distinguished group of genocide scholars.9 However, most public health, medical, and social science associations have either remained silent or issued vague statements—a response that contrasts sharply with their rapid and vocal support in other conflicts, such as with Ukraine.10 This pattern suggests a selectively empathic response: a tendency to express solidarity with people who are perceived as being part of a so-called in-group and neglect those classified as an out-group based on nationality, ethnicity, religion, or geopolitical alignment.11

To challenge this selective silence, we issued an open letter urging professional and academic associations in the fields of health care, public health, and the social sciences to publicly recognise the genocide in Gaza and to revise their official positions accordingly (appendix pp 6–20).12 Within days, the letter gathered over 3300 signatures, including 1300 from academics and professionals. Moreover, the initiative prompted three major public health associations—the European Public Health Alliance, the European Public Health Associations, and the World Federation of Public Health Association, who represent over 5 million health professionals globally—to issue a joint statement acknowledging the genocide.13

The genocide in Gaza is a defining ethical test for the global public health community, social scientists, and academic associations. Silence is not an option. As scholars and health professionals, we face a stark choice: either we uphold our collective ethical responsibility and speak out to prevent further mass violence and starvation, or we will be remembered for our selective silence and inaction during one of the most urgent moral and public health crises of our time.

Reliefweb

News

‘Aid Trickle’ Mean People Die Before Reaching Hospitals

CrossFireArabia
August 6, 2025

Children in Gaza are dying not just from hunger, but from the total collapse of the systems meant to protect them, UN agencies warned on Tuesday.

With 96 per cent of households lacking clean water, many malnourished children are not surviving long enough to receive hospital care.

James Elder, Spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), told a media briefing in Geneva that it would be a mistake to assume that the situation was improving.

“There’s a sense through the world’s press that things are improving,” he said. “But unless there is sustained humanitarian aid…there will be horrific results.”

He emphasised the scale of need: “When food comes in which supports 30,000 children, there are still 970,000 children not getting enough. It is a drop in the ocean.”

Aid still a trickle

The UN relief coordination office, OCHA, said that although unilateral pauses have allowed some aid into Gaza, the current trickle is vastly insufficient.

“There should be hundreds and hundreds of trucks entering Gaza every day, for months or years to come,” said Jens Laerke, OCHA spokesperson. “People are dying every day. This is a crisis, on the brink of famine.”

Thousands of tons of pre-funded aid remain stuck just outside the enclave, he added, as bureaucratic delays and lack of safe access continue to block distribution.

Urgent scale-up needed

In New York, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq also noted the impediments to bringing in and distributing sufficient aid.

“Massive food shortages continue to impact people’s chances for survival,” he said. “As malnutrition levels rise, children’s immune systems are weakened, hindering their development and growth far into the future.”

Last Thursday alone, 71 kitchens delivered over 270,000 hot meals across Gaza, including 10,000 to health facilities. But that figure falls far short of what’s needed to feed more than two million people.

“We need an urgent scale-up of supplies, as well as an environment that allows humanitarians to reach people in need safely, rapidly and efficiently,” Mr. Haq added.

Health challenges continue

Some medicine has entered Gaza in recent days, but supplies remain limited. Health workers continue to operate under extreme pressure and shortages.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 46 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome in July, including two deaths. The condition, which affects the nervous system, has been linked to compromised immunity, poor nutrition and hygiene-related infections.

The situation of pregnant women and nursing mothers is equally alarming. The UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, said that 40 per cent of pregnant or breastfeeding women are suffering from severe malnutrition, with newborn deaths and stillbirths on the rise.

Meanwhile, three UN fuel tankers reached Gaza City on Monday. The fuel will power critical health, water and sanitation services, but OCHA stressed this only allows operations to run at “bare minimum” capacity according to UN News.

News

‘Spy’ or Face Shutdown – Israel Tells NGOs

CrossFireArabia
August 6, 2025

Aid agencies warned on Wednesday that most partner organizations providing vital relief across Gaza will likely have to shut down their operations within weeks, unless Israel withdraws its demand that they provide sensitive information about Palestinian employees.

The development – which also applies to the occupied West Bank – is a result of the Israeli requirement introduced on 9 March impacting international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

“Unless urgent action is taken…most international NGO partners could be de-registered by 9 September or sooner – forcing them to withdraw all international staff and preventing them from providing critical, lifesaving humanitarian assistance to Palestinians,” said UN and partner aid organizations that are known collectively as the Humanitarian Country Team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

The UN understands that organizations must now submit, amongst others, details of representatives and all employees in-country, including Palestinian and foreign workers, with full identification and contact details.

For foreign worker recommendation requirements, applications must now include marital status and family details, including spouse and children’s passport numbers and country of issuance.

Many UN agencies still operate in Gaza, working closely with NGO partners to reach the war-torn enclave’s most vulnerable people. International NGOs are key as they provide critical support to Palestinian NGOs in the form of supplies, funding and technical support.

The lack of fuel in Gaza has resulted in people burning dangerous materials that pose serious health risks & environmental hazards.@UNOCHA is doing its best to deliver fuel supplies, but systematic obstructions are creating challenges to their work.pic.twitter.com/QYfVEATQjb
— United Nations (@UN) August 5, 2025

Collective call

“Without this cooperation, their operations will be severed, cutting off even more communities from food, medical care, shelter and critical protection services,” said the Humanitarian Country Team, which is overseen by the UN’s top aid official in OPT and includes heads of UN agencies and more than 200 local and international NGOs.

Already, NGOs which have not registered under the new system are prohibited from sending any supplies to Gaza.

Just last month, Israeli authorities rejected repeated requests by 29 of them to ship humanitarian aid to Gaza, citing the organizations as “not authorised”.

“This policy has already prevented the delivery of lifesaving aid including medicine, food, and hygiene items,” the humanitarian collective said. “This most profoundly affects women, children, older people, and persons with disabilities, further aggravating the risk of being subjected to abuse and exploitation.”

In a statement urging Israel to reconsider its demand for sensitive employee information from NGOs, the humanitarian country team insisted that impeding its work violates international law “when we are receiving daily reports of death by starvation as Gaza faces famine conditions”.

Convoy tragedy

Meanwhile inside Gaza, reports on Wednesday indicated that at least 20 people were killed and dozens more injured in central Gaza after a convoy of aid trucks overturned into a crowd.

The incident happened in southern Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, on Tuesday, according to the local authorities. Further reports indicated that desperate people seeking aid had climbed onto the lorries before the drivers lost control.

In its latest aid update, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, noted that a full 90 per cent of aid brought into Gaza since 20 July has been “offloaded by hungry crowds or looted by armed gangs”.

People who approach aid convoys near Israeli military checkpoints continue to be killed and wounded, OCHA said.

It cited the health authorities which reported that between 27 May and 4 August, there have been 1,516 fatalities and more than 10,000 injuries at militarised distribution sites or along humanitarian aid convoy routes according to UN News.