Recent satellite images have shown Israeli occupation forces bulldozing parts of the 'Gaza War' cemetery, which contains the remains of British, Australian, and other Allied soldiers who fell in the First and Second World Wars. Footage and evidence revealed by journalistic sources on Wednesday for the cemetery, located in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, show extensive excavation and plowing operations and the removal of tombstones in the southern corner of the cemetery, in addition to the construction of an earthen dam using heavy equipment.
In response, British political figures, veterans' organizations, and soldiers' families expressed strong dismay, describing what happened as a desecration of the dead and a lack of respect for history and diplomacy, amidst calls for an official investigation into the incident at the highest levels.
While craters from airstrikes appear around the site, the damage within the cemetery's boundaries looks different, with rows of tombstones removed and massive sand barriers erected. According to image analysis, these signs of destruction were not visible in March of last year, but they became clearly apparent in footage dated August 8, before appearing more extensive in subsequent images from December.
The damaged area appears as barren land compared to the rest of the cemetery, which is covered in grass. The destruction seems to have affected vast areas according to the images, with a site dedicated to Canadian peacekeeping forces outside the main wall completely erased. Also, 6 sections containing the remains of over 100 World War II soldiers, mostly Australians, and 4 sections for British World War I soldiers who fell during battles with Ottoman forces, were leveled.
Sources quoted the former cemetery guard, Issam Jarada, as saying that the bulldozing operations took place in two phases. The first phase covered the cemetery's perimeter to a depth of 12 meters where olive trees were planted, while the second targeted an area of approximately one thousand square meters inside the walls.
Jarada added: "The bulldozing affected the area containing the graves of Australian soldiers, extending from the visitors' benches to the memorial." He also said: "I saw the signs of destruction and sand barriers immediately after the Israeli forces withdrew from the area in late April."
For its part, the occupation forces claimed that the work in the area was against the backdrop of military activity to clear sites that they said contained infrastructure for armed elements, and claimed that these measures, which took place in the context of extensive operations in the Gaza Strip, were "necessary for the security of soldiers on the ground."
A spokesperson for the occupation army said that the area was an "active battlefield," stressing that work in sensitive areas "is done with the approval of senior leadership and in a manner consistent with the nature of the site." This cemetery, overseen by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, represents an important historical site containing the remains of thousands of soldiers who served in the Allied forces during the two World Wars.
The bulldozing affected the area containing the graves of Australian soldiers, extending from the visitors' benches to the memorial.
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Occupation's bulldozing of Allied soldiers' cemetery east of Gaza sparks widespread anger in Britain