The SAS is preparing to assist Israel’s elite forces in any rescue attempt of nine British civilians being held by Hamas in Gaza, i has been told.
A number of military and security sources claimed that SAS personnel are working alongside special forces from Israel and the US to collect intelligence that may lead to attempts to rescue the 200-plus hostages from a number of different nations being held in Hamas hideouts and tunnels throughout Gaza.
A UK special forces source said: “It is understood that events in southern Israel have triggered a change in the readiness of UK special forces.
“An SAS squadron on a training operation had last week finished its detachment several days early as part of unspecified deployment plans.”
Justin Crump, a military veteran and chief executive of security and intelligence group Sibylline, said Western nations with strong special forces capabilities would be working with the Israelis and other nations “to help to get their citizens back”.
On Monday, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly confirmed that the UK Government believed up to 10 Britons are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
Israel has stated there are 199 hostages but Hamas has claimed it has captured 200 with a further 50 held by other groups in the Palestinian territory.
While the vast majority of hostages are Israeli, citizens from around 30 nations are believed to have been captured with 20 Americans and eight German citizens among those unaccounted for.
It is understood that the UK’s special forces have been used on just three hostage rescue missions – in Kenya, Nigeria and Yemen – since 2011.
A further six intelligence gathering deployments have taken place over the same period, including one in Ukraine ahead of Russia’s full-scale invasion last year.
Mr Crump said: “The way that Hamas is holding the hostages looks like they’ve scattered them over the territory of Gaza very widely.”
He added that Hamas will want to keep hostages alive with units dedicated to feeding them, providing them with water, and taking care of medical needs because they will be seen by the fighters as “bargaining chips” in negotiations with Israel.
General Lord Richard Dannatt, the former chief of general staff in the British Army, said: “Hostage rescue is one of the UK special forces’ specialities. We’re among the best in the world at just this situation.”
UK special forces are believed to be working with counterparts including Israel’s elite Sayeret Matkal force and the US Delta Force to collect intelligence that could lead to hostage rescue attempts.
Another UK special forces insider added: “They will not hesitate to go into this incredibly difficult environment and put their own lives on the line to get UK citizens out if they feel there is an opportunity for a successful rescue.”
Royal Navy vessels and Royal Air Force surveillance planes have been sent to the eastern Mediterranean in response to the conflict. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said the vessels are not warships but “ships that can assist with hospital facilities”. The UK’s actions, he said, were about monitoring the situation, providing surveillance and acting “as a deterrent in the wider region”.
A spokeswoman for the MoD said: “It is the longstanding policy of successive governments not to comment on speculation about special forces.”
