British veteran joins flotilla to break Gaza siege

A British veteran has joined the largest aid flotilla to Gaza in history and is calling on the Royal Air Force (RAF) to end its intelligence support to Israel.

Malcolm Ducker, who served as a fighter pilot in the RAF between 1972 and 1979, is sailing with a flotilla of over 50 boats loaded with aid for Gaza.

The initiative is being led by the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a “coalition of everyday people… who believe in human dignity and the power of nonviolent action”.

The first boats departed from Spanish ports on Sunday but were briefly delayed due to bad weather. More ships are set to join the flotilla in Tunisia in the coming days before arriving in Gaza in mid-September.

Ducker spoke exclusively with Declassified about his decision to take action.

The veteran said he was “appalled and furious” about British intelligence collaboration with Israel, and urged RAF pilots to disobey orders when asked to conduct spy flights over Gaza.

“If you get kicked out of the air force for that, then sorry guys: that’s the price. That’s the price of being just and being a humanitarian”, he declared.

From fighter pilot to activist

“I got involved in activism quite late on”, Ducker said from the cabin of a sailing boat docked in Barcelona, Spain.

Ducker, who is now retired, spent much of his life focussing on his career – from flying Hawker Hunter jets for the RAF to working as an airline pilot.

But his daughter, an activist, opened his eyes to what was happening in Palestine. “I had never thought about the sort of things that she would get me involved in”, he says.

After posting videos on social media criticising Britain’s support for Israel, Ducker decided to join the GSF flotilla to Gaza, which aims to break the 18-year-long siege of Gaza.

Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has come out strongly against the initiative. “We will not allow individuals who support terrorism to live in comfort. They will face the full consequences of their actions”, he declared on Sunday.

Does Ducker have any concerns about his safety?

“I suppose it would be unnatural not to have concerns for one’s safety”, he responds. “But when one considers what the Palestinian people are being put through by the Israeli military, the risk to us and to me personally I think is so small by comparison”.

Malcolm Ducker was an RAF fighter pilot. (Photo: Supplied)

Arriving in Gaza

The risks may seem small by comparison, but they are nonetheless serious.

In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara aid boat in international waters. Nine activists were killed in the assault, another later died from his wounds, and dozens more were injured.

Efforts to bring essential humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave have intensified over the past two years, with the Israeli government responding with even more violence.

In May 2025, a boat carrying 12 activists and supplies for Gaza was struck twice by armed drones off the coast of Malta. The activists were under no illusions about who the culprit was: Israel.

One month later, the British-flagged Madleen boat was intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters. Among the detained crew members were climate activist Greta Thunberg and European parliament member Rima Hassan.

“We know how the Israelis basically pirated the Madleen and the Marmara”, Ducker told Declassified. “The Madleen, a British-flagged vessel, should have been under the protection of the British – of the Royal Navy. But no, they [politicians] don’t care”.

What does he expect the Israeli response to be this time?

“We don’t know what they [the Israelis] are going to do – they are a law unto themselves and they do things with impunity because of the actions of Western governments”, he responds.

“I have to say I am absolutely appalled by the RAF spy flights over Gaza in support of the Israelis”, he added, referring to more than 600 surveillance flights the UK has sent over the strip since 2023.

“I have tried to actually contact or send a message to the RAF pilots who are conducting these missions because I do believe that they are committing war crimes and I believe they will be held responsible one day”, Ducker continues.

Earlier this year, Ducker located his original RAF commission document, which “clearly states… that if you are given orders against the laws and regulations of war, then you have every right to refuse that order”.

Does he have a message for the RAF pilots who have been overflying Gaza?

“Please come to your senses”, he urges. “I know we can’t rely on our ministers, our government to have an ounce of humanity but you guys have the right to decline those orders”.

The former RAF fighter pilot concluded by lambasting how Britain’s corporate media has provided a smokescreen for Israel’s crimes in Gaza.

“We all know what the Palestinians are going through – at least, if you don’t just watch mainstream media.“You’ve got to look at other things – you’ve got to look at Al Jazeera, you’ve got to look at Declassified UK, you’ve got to look at different things because otherwise you’re being brainwashed”, he commented.