LONDON: The UK's complicity in Israel's war on Gaza has crossed into participation, an investigative journalist told the Gaza Tribunal on Friday.

Matt Kennard, an author and creator of the Palestine Deep Dive blog, has tracked hundreds of British surveillance flights over Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023.

His remarks came on the second day of the tribunal, which is taking place in London.

It is chaired by independent MP Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the governing Labour Party.

Speakers at the tribunal are examining allegations of genocide and war crimes against Israel, and exploring the UK's potential complicity in them.

It has heard testimonies from a range of medical, legal, political and humanitarian experts.

Kennard said the British government, responding to media reports over the past two years, had repeatedly been forced to reveal new levels of military ties to Israel during the Gaza war.

Defense Minister Luke Pollard in May said British surveillance flights over Gaza — revealed by the media — were strictly searching for the location of hostages held by Hamas and other groups.

The aircraft were not involved in combat operations or intelligence sharing, he added.

But Kennard said the 'still daily' missions, launched from the RAF Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus, show flight patterns that suggest a different purpose.

'The idea that it's just for hostage rescue is preposterous,' he added.

'It doesn't make any sense.

And the reason they (the UK government) say that is because they know it's participation in war crimes.' Kennard highlighted an example from his own research into the surveillance flights: A British spy plane had arrived over Gaza on July 28 and spent hours in a holding pattern over the southern city of Khan Younis.

At the time, the city was the focus of an intense Israeli offensive.

However, the Israel Defense Forces had publicly said no known hostages were located there or its surroundings.

'We didn't know what they were doing over Gaza until July 28, when that pilot forgot to turn off his transponder,' said Kennard.

'That evidence clearly shows, I believe, that they (the UK military) are involved in the campaign, because ...

if you're looking for hostages, and the Israeli government itself doesn't believe they're in Khan Younis, why are you circling the major area of the fighting that's happening in Gaza?

It doesn't make any sense.' Kennard also highlighted reporting by The Times that revealed the UK military was providing 'real-time' intelligence to Israeli counterparts.

He added: 'I think they're collecting information on the ground to help Israel in their genocidal war against the Palestinians.' Meanwhile, a lawyer representing the family of a British aid worker killed by Israel in Gaza said it is 'highly likely' that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is complicit in genocide.

Forz Khan is representing the relatives of James Henderson, 33, a former Royal Marine who was killed in April 2024 along with six others in an Israeli drone strike.

They were traveling in a convoy operated by World Central Kitchen, with clearly visible logos on their vehicles.

The family have condemned the UK government for failing to appropriately respond to the killings, and continuing to arm Israel.

Khan told the tribunal that Britain had clearly failed to fulfill its legal obligations relating to the Gaza war, and continues to breach criminal law and 'assist genocide.' He added: 'It's highly likely that the information which was provided to the Israelis which caused that strike (on the WCK convoy) came from a plane flying over Israel flying from RAF Akrotiri.'