{"id":462207,"date":"2026-02-06T12:01:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T12:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/462207\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T12:01:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T12:01:08","slug":"australia-vows-to-repair-distressing-damage-to-war-graves-in-gaza-bulldozed-by-israeli-army-australian-military","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/462207\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia vows to repair \u2018distressing\u2019 damage to war graves in Gaza bulldozed by Israeli army | Australian military"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Australian government has vowed to repair the graves of dozens of Australian soldiers in Gaza<\/a> after satellite imagery and witness testimony revealed they had been bulldozed by the Israel Defense Forces.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A series of satellite images of the Gaza War Cemetery<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Australia\u2019s Department of Veterans\u2019 Affairs told the Guardian there had been \u201csignificant damage\u201d to the Gaza War Cemetery \u201cand this includes the graves of Australians\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommonwealth War Graves represent a solemn covenant between the nation and those who served,\u201d Tinley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 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\u2019 commitment to repair these graves when circumstances allow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Essam Jarada, Gaza cemetery\u2019s former caretaker, whose home is also close by, said two bulldozing operations took place at the cemetery in April and May 2025.<\/p>\n

Plan of the cemetery <\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLater 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI witnessed this bulldozing after the Israeli army withdrew from the area, around late April or early May,\u201d Jarada said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the relevant time, the area in question was an active combat zone,\u201d an army spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe emphasize that underground terrorist infrastructure was identified within the cemetery and in its surrounding area, which the IDF located and dismantled,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cIDF activity in sensitive areas is approved by senior ranks in the army and handled with the required sensitivity needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The military historian Prof Peter Stanley, of the University of NSW Canberra, said \u201cAustralians had not forgotten\u201d their soldiers\u2019 service in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Share your experience<\/p>\n

Have you been affected? <\/p>\n

If you think the grave of a family member might have been affected please share any details in the form below or by messaging us.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Your responses, which can be anonymous, are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature and we will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For alternative ways to get in touch securely please see our tips guide<\/a>.Show more<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Stanley said damaged graves could be repaired, and that people who had died in war should be treated with respect, and equitably.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt 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\u2019s an irony there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission \u2013 responsible for the maintenance of Commonwealth war graves around the world \u2013 said it was \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d about \u201cextensive damage\u201d sustained by the Gaza cemetery.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a result of the conflict the cemetery has suffered extensive damage to headstones, memorials, boundary walls, staff facilities and storage areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ongoing conflict risked further destruction of graves, the commission said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is unlikely we will be able to enter Gaza for some time and are not able to protect the sites from further damage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Eelemarni Close-Brown and Ima Caldwell<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Australian government has vowed to repair the graves of dozens of Australian soldiers in Gaza after satellite…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462208,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-462207","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}