British airbase used by Israeli war planes involved in bombing Gaza
KC-707 'Re'em' jets, which refuel other planes in the air, are said to have landed at the Oxfordshire base on at least nine occasions during trips between Israel and the US.
Of these stops, eight reportedly lasted more between one to three hours potentially indicating that the planes were refuelling.
Re'em military planes have been spotted refuelling Israeli F-35 bombers and two of those which stopped in the UK had also been observed providing refuelling and logistics support to planes engaged in bombing raids, Drop Site reports.
One was reportedly in the sky over Gaza in October 2024 when the IAF bombed a residential complex in Beit Lahiya, killing 73 people.
(Image: House of Commons/PA Wire)
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (above) told Drop Site: 'Israeli F-35 jets are bombing hospitals and civilians in Gaza.
'It is simply unconscionable that Britain would allow any Israeli warplanes to refuel on British bases – and implicates the government in the gravest breaches of international law.'
It raises further questions about British complicity in war crimes committed by the Israeli military, with the country's leaders facing international arrest warrants and plausible accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
READ MORE: Latest updates as MPs debate proscribing Palestine Action
SNP MP Chris Law previously attempted to get the UK Government to reveal how many IAF planes had landed in Britain over the last year.
Defence minister Luke Pollard (above) replied via a written answer: 'For operational security reasons and as a matter of policy, the Ministry of Defence will neither confirm, deny, nor comment on any foreign nations' military aircraft movement or operations within UK airspace or UK overseas bases.'
(Image: none)
The Conservatives had previously revealed the numbers while they were in power, with a previous defence minister James Heappey confirming that nine had landed since October 2023.
Planes have arrived in Britain from the Hatzor airbase in central Israel and others that Drop Site was unable to confirm, while all the flights coming from America originated from the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the US Department of Defence's largest air freight terminal.
The Ministry of Defence and the Israeli military were approached for comment.
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