The United Kingdom has concluded its surveillance flights over the Gaza Strip after nearly two years, following the recent ceasefire deal that included the release of hostages held by Hamas.

According to Defense Secretary John Healey, the missions, which began in December 2023, aimed to assist in locating individuals taken hostage during the October 7 attacks of that year.

The final flight took place last week, preceding the implementation of the ceasefire, as reported by The Times.

Healey commended the 'professionalism' of British personnel involved in these unarmed operations.

He highlighted the significance of this development for both the civilian population of Gaza and the Israeli hostages and their families who have endured considerable suffering.

He also expressed pride in the UK's efforts to support the safe return of the hostages.

The UK's Ministry of Defense clarified that the aircraft used were always unarmed, did not have a combat role, and were solely tasked with locating hostages.

The intelligence provided to Israel was limited strictly to hostage rescue operations, according to officials.

However, the program faced controversy throughout its duration due to concerns about potential misuse of gathered intelligence.

Earlier this year, it was confirmed that the flights were conducted either by the Royal Air Force or US contractors hired by the UK, which raised further concerns internally within the Ministry of Defense.

A technical error in July inadvertently revealed a US contractor's aircraft, registered in Nevada, flying above Khan Younis.

Rights groups and opposition politicians questioned whether intelligence shared with Israel could be utilized for military operations in Gaza.

In August, The Guardian reported that legal experts and analysts were concerned about the UK's lack of operational control over how information passed to Israel might be used once shared.

Critics, including Helen Maguire from the Liberal Democrats and Kim Johnson from Labour, called for clarity on the steps taken by the government to prevent the misuse of UK-sourced intelligence.

Former Foreign Secretary David Lammy voiced opposition to any assistance that could potentially aid in Gaza's military operations, stating it would be wrong for the British government to do so.

Despite these concerns, the Ministry of Defense maintained that strict controls governed the intelligence-sharing process and confirmed that no information of 'military utility' was passed to Israeli authorities.