The family of a British aid worker killed by an Israeli drone strike in Gaza have slammed the British government for refusing to release information about the attack gathered by a Royal Air Force (RAF) spy plane.

James Kirby, a 47-year-old former British Army rifleman, was working in Gaza for the World Central Kitchen when he was killed last April in an Israeli targeted attack on a three-car aid convoy. He died alongside several others, including two other British veterans.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) told The Times it had footage from a RAF spy plane that was flying over Gaza trying to locate Israeli captives on the day of the strike. The MoD refused to disclose the footage, citing national security and defence exemptions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially claimed the killing of the British aid workers last April was “unintentional”. The Israeli military later dismissed two officers and reprimanded two senior commanders, saying a drone operator had mistakenly targeted the convoy.

But in an interview with The Times, the Kirby family slammed the military’s investigation as a “whitewash” and called for an independent inquiry.