The families of dead Australian soldiers whose graves were bulldozed by the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza have called for reparations and urged the Albanese government to hold Israel accountable.
Earlier this month, the Guardian revealed that the IDF had bulldozed parts of the Gaza War Cemetery – the resting place of Australian, British and Canadian soldiers who served in the first and second world wars.
The damage was concentrated in a corner of the cemetery that housed the remains of Australian soldiers.
The revelations caused widespread outrage, including from two families who spoke to Guardian Australia about the shock of learning their relatives’ graves had been bulldozed and that their remains were unaccounted for.
Now a third family has spoken out, saying the Australian government must do more to hold Israel and the IDF accountable.
William Frederick Matthews, a cook who served in the second world war, was buried in the cemetery in 1941 having died after being hit by a vehicle driven by American soldiers. His grave, according to cemetery maps and satellite imagery, is among those destroyed.
Dr Julie Shiels, the daughter of William’s wife, Norma May Wingart, said the damage had caused “profound” harm to her family.
Shiels said her late mother, who was deeply affected by William’s death, would be beside herself with grief to learn of his grave’s destruction.
“My brothers and sisters and me, we have a living connection as well,” she said. “It’s quite profound.
“It took a while for me to say, no, this affects me a lot – and I’m doing it for my mother, and I hope there is some consideration of her.”
Anthony Albanese raised the destruction of the graves during Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s recent visit to Australia. Herzog pledged to investigate the issue.
Shiels said she was glad Albanese had raised the issue with Herzog but that the Australian government needs to do more to hold Israel to account.
“The dead should be able to rest in peace and the living have the responsibility to make sure it happens,” she said.
“The Australian government must put more pressure on for accountability and reparations,” she said.
“At the very least, there should be an apology, even if you accept that it was operational and there was good reason, that there is acknowledgment that there has been distress and additional grief.”
Daniel Cotterill, whose uncle Acting Cpl Patrick William Cotterill is buried in the cemetery, said the reparations should go towards restoring the cemetery.
“An apology from the IDF would be welcome, along with a detailed explanation of why they felt the need to take such action,” he said.
Wilma Spence, daughter of Acting Cpl Albert Kemp, who died in Gaza in 1942, said she also wants more assurances on what has happened to her father’s remains.
“My main concern is now the location of any remains that have been disturbed by the digging and what has happened to them,” she said. “I think our government should be actively pursuing this.”
The Tuffah area of Gaza City, in which the cemetery sits, has been shelled throughout the conflict. But more systematic and extensive damage was caused by Israeli military earthmoving in April and May of last year.
Canadian broadcaster CBC reported that the IDF had confirmed it had excavated below the graves up to a depth of 30m but couldn’t say whether it had taken any steps to preserve the remains. It said it did so to destroy a Hamas tunnel.
After being shown satellite images of the cemetery, the IDF said that it had been forced to take defensive measures during military operations.
“During IDF operations in the area, terrorists attempted to attack IDF troops and took cover in structures close to the cemetery. In response, to ensure the safety of IDF troops operating on the ground, operational measures were taken in the area to neutralize identified threats.”
A government spokesperson said Australia was “deeply concerned” about the damage and had been “clear with Israel, including to President Herzog, about the importance these graves hold for Australians and all Commonwealth veterans”.
Guardian Australia has approached Herzog’s office for comment.
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