The Australian government has vowed to repair the graves of dozens of Australian soldiers in Gaza after satellite imagery and witness testimony revealed they had been bulldozed by the Israel Defense Forces.
But it could be months or years before authorities can access the Commonwealth war cemetery in Gaza and Australian graves might face further damage as conflict continues in the occupied territory.
More than 250 Australian soldiers are buried at the Gaza War Cemetery, administered by the Commonwealth, most of them light horsemen who served in the first world war. The majority of graves in the cemetery are British, but the worst damage has been sustained to a corner of the cemetery that houses the graves of Australians who died during the second world war.
The Tuffah area of Gaza City, in which the cemetery sits, has been shelled throughout the current conflict. But more systematic and extensive damage caused by military earthmoving has occurred within the last year to the southern corner of the cemetery.
Satellite photographs show rows of gravestones removed and soil significantly disturbed across sections A and B of the cemetery, which hold the graves of second world war soldiers, the vast majority Australian. A substantial earth berm can be seen in the images, running through the middle of the disturbed area.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs told the Guardian there had been “significant damage” to the Gaza War Cemetery “and this includes the graves of Australians”.
“The Office of Australian War Graves is very concerned by the damage to the cemetery and Australian war graves. We remain committed to ensuring the restoration of all affected graves as soon as feasible.
“The Commonwealth War Graves Commission plans to secure and repair the cemetery as soon as it is safe to do so, however, it is expected that full reconstruction will take some time as the immediate post-conflict priority for works will be directed to humanitarian efforts.”
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The national president of the Returned & Services League of Australia, Peter Tinley, said the organisation would continue to monitor the situation and work with relevant authorities to ensure Australian graves in Gaza were restored and properly maintained once access was possible.
“Commonwealth War Graves represent a solemn covenant between the nation and those who served,” Tinley said.
“For the families of those who rest in Gaza, and for all Australians who value our commemorative traditions, news of damage to these graves is distressing. While we understand the immense complexities of the current situation, our focus remains on ensuring these Australians are eventually commemorated with the respect they deserve. We welcome the Office of Australian War Graves’ commitment to repair these graves when circumstances allow.”
Essam Jarada, Gaza cemetery’s former caretaker, whose home is also close by, said two bulldozing operations took place at the cemetery in April and May 2025.
“The first bulldozing occurred outside the cemetery walls, extending approximately 12 metres around all sides of the cemetery. These areas were entirely planted with olive trees,” he said.
“Later on, an area of slightly less than one dunum (1,000 sq metres) was bulldozed inside the cemetery walls, specifically in the corner of the cemetery which contains graves of Australian soldiers. The bulldozing covered the area from the bench where foreign visitors used to sit up to the memorial monument. Bulldozers also created sand mounds that were used as earth barriers.
“I witnessed this bulldozing after the Israeli army withdrew from the area, around late April or early May,” Jarada said.
After being shown satellite images of the cemetery, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had been forced to take defensive measures during military operations.
“At the relevant time, the area in question was an active combat zone,” an army spokesperson said.
“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.”
“We emphasize that underground terrorist infrastructure was identified within the cemetery and in its surrounding area, which the IDF located and dismantled,” the spokesperson said. “IDF activity in sensitive areas is approved by senior ranks in the army and handled with the required sensitivity needed.”
The military historian Prof Peter Stanley, of the University of NSW Canberra, said “Australians had not forgotten” their soldiers’ service in the Middle East.
“The Gaza cemetery is as valued and as cared for as any cemetery in the world: an enormous amount of sentiment and emotion has been invested in maintaining these cemeteries as sacred places.
“The first need is to stop people in Gaza dying and to provide succour to those who have been starving and suffering for years now; this needs to be kept in proportion. But for Australians, a serious consequence of this conflict is the desecration of the graves of Australian soldiers. That might not be major in the global scheme of things, but it is definitely something Australians should be concerned about.”
Stanley said Commonwealth war graves around the world had previously suffered damage in conflict, including in Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, and the US-led invasion of 2003.
The Commonwealth war cemetery at Villers-Bretonneux in France, built to commemorate the dead of the first world war, remains pockmarked by bullets fired during the second, fought over the same territory.
Stanley said damaged graves could be repaired, and that people who had died in war should be treated with respect, and equitably.
“At the same time as the Israelis are, understandably, demanding the return of the remains of hostages, the IDF is bulldozing the remains of Commonwealth soldiers; there’s an irony there.”
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission – responsible for the maintenance of Commonwealth war graves around the world – said it was “deeply concerned” about “extensive damage” sustained by the Gaza cemetery.
“As a result of the conflict the cemetery has suffered extensive damage to headstones, memorials, boundary walls, staff facilities and storage areas.”
The ongoing conflict risked further destruction of graves, the commission said.
“It is unlikely we will be able to enter Gaza for some time and are not able to protect the sites from further damage.”
Additional reporting by Eelemarni Close-Brown and Ima Caldwell
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
