GAZA CITY: Israeli forces bulldozed part of a Gaza cemetery containing the graves of British, Australian and other Allied soldiers killed during the First and Second World Wars, according to satellite imagery and witness testimony.
Satellite images of the Gaza War Cemetery at Al-Tuffah, in eastern Gaza City, reveal extensive earthworks in the southern corner of the graveyard. Rows of gravestones have been removed, topsoil is churned up and a large berm of piled earth cuts through the affected area. The damage appears consistent with the use of heavy machinery.
The destruction was not visible on satellite images from March last year but appears clearly in photographs taken on Aug. 8 and Dec. 13.
While vegetation has regrown across much of the cemetery, certain sections remain bare, with mounds of sand and disturbed soil marking the area where graves once lay.
Essam Jaradah, former caretaker of the cemetery, said bulldozing took place outside and inside the cemetery walls.
“Two bulldozing operations took place at the cemetery,” he said. “The first bulldozing occurred outside the cemetery walls, extending approximately 12 meters around all sides of the cemetery. These areas were entirely planted with olive trees.
“Later on, an area of slightly less than 1 dunum (1,000 sq. meters) 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.”
Jaradah said he discovered the damage after Israeli forces withdrew from the area in late April or early May last year.
After being shown the satellite imagery, the Israeli army said it had taken “defensive measures” during active combat operations.
“At the relevant time, the area in question was an active combat zone,” a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces 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. IDF activity in sensitive areas is approved by senior ranks in the army and handled with the required sensitivity needed.”
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which maintains the cemetery, said in December that there had been serious damage at the site.
“As a result of the conflict, the cemetery has suffered extensive damage to headstones, memorials, boundary walls, staff facilities and storage areas,” it said.
It confirmed that a memorial to the British army’s 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division had been damaged, as well as an Indian UN memorial, and Hindu, Muslim and Turkish sections of the cemetery.
The satellite images suggest the destruction is even more widespread; two sections containing more than 100 Second World War graves, mostly of Australian soldiers alongside British and Polish service personnel, appear to have been flattened, along with four sections of First World War graves that Commonwealth War Graves Commission records show are almost entirely those of British troops.
Many of those buried there served in Palestine during the British mandate period, some of them stationed in field hospitals.
A spokesperson for the Royal British Legion said: “We are saddened to hear that graves of British and Allied personnel who bravely served in the First and Second World Wars have been damaged. War graves honor the memory of every member of the armed forces who has made the ultimate sacrifice and deserve to be treated with the utmost respect.”
