The Israeli military has inflicted “significant damage” on a cemetery in Gaza, which is the final resting place for Australian soldiers. This development has sparked concerns over the possible harm to the graves of a distinguished World War One unit.

During a recent Senate estimates session, independent Senator David Pocock urged the government to address the issue. His call to action coincided with the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Australia, a trip that has stirred controversy and was extended by the federal government.

The Returned Services League Australia (RSL) had already raised alarms in August 2024 about the potential damage to Australian graves in Gaza. This week, the organization expressed renewed concerns regarding the condition of these graves and the safety of those who maintain them.

According to satellite images released by The Guardian, numerous gravestones have been demolished in a section of the Gaza War Cemetery known to contain Australian soldiers.

On Monday, during Senate estimates, Senator Pocock confronted Foreign Minister Penny Wong about the situation. He inquired whether Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would address the issue with President Herzog and seek compensation from Israel for the restoration of the graves.

Minister Wong emphasized the importance of the graves, stating, “The graves of fallen Australians are sacred to us, and we would always make clear the priority we attach to the resting place of Australians.” However, she did not directly respond to the query regarding compensation.

Pocock read aloud an email he had received from a constituent who said her father was a World War Two soldier buried at the Gaza cemetery.

“My family is distressed and angry, as we were led to believe by the [Commonwealth] War Graves Commission that very few Australian people’s graves had been affected,” Pocock repeated.

“I’m also distressed that the Australian government has very lately invited the president of Israel to Australia when our soldiers’ graves have been desecrated by the Israeli Defence Force.”

Israel has acknowledged it damaged the site and said it happened while the site was part of an active combat zone. Media reported Israel had bulldozed parts of the site, which it did not explicitly confirm.

SBS News has contacted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.

The cemetery is managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) on behalf of the Australian government and its other member nations, the UK, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and India.

Pocock’s constituent also asked what action the Australian government had taken and intended to take.

Wong referred the questions to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

RSL Australia national president Peter Tinley said the League had been in contact with both the Office of Australian War Graves and the CWGC during the current conflict and following the ceasefire.

“Unfortunately, the conflict is not yet fully resolved, with ongoing actions, and this makes it extremely difficult to actively monitor the status of the war graves and the cemetery as a whole,” Tinley said.

He said the RSL has been advised “as soon as it is safe to do so, a full assessment of any damage will be conducted and necessary repairs undertaken”.

“The cemetery has been maintained by a dedicated local team, all of whom are based in Gaza. The current head gardener is the fourth generation in his family to serve in the position, beginning with his great-grandfather, who first took up the role more than 100 years ago.

“We trust the team members and their families have survived the conflict and will soon be able to resume their duties.”

What has Israel said about this?

The Guardian said it provided satellite images to the IDF which acknowledged it had conducted military operations in the cemetery and “dismantled” Hamas infrastructure in and around the site.

The former caretaker of the cemetery told the Guardian he witnessed two bulldozing operations at the site, located in the Tuffah area of Gaza City, in April and May last year.

An IDF spokesperson said “terrorists” attempted to attack IDF troops and took cover in structures close to the cemetery.

“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 neutralise identified threats.”

How many Australians are buried there?

The cemetery houses more than 260 Australian graves, including dozens who died during World War One and more than 150 who died during World War Two, according to a CWGC database which lists the names of the deceased.

They’re among several thousand graves, most of them British, at the site.

Military historian Peter Stanley, an honorary professor at the University of New South Wales Canberra, told SBS News these figures included men who were killed in the three battles of Gaza in 1917, most of them Light Horsemen, and members of the Second Australian Imperial Force which deployed to the Middle East during World War Two.

The three battles of Gaza were a series of attacks by British Empire forces that sought to capture Gaza from Ottoman forces. The third was successful.

The Battle of Beersheba, remembered for a historic charge by Australian Light Horse units in October 1917, marked the opening of the third campaign.

“They are some of the men who were involved in the most famous Australian Light Horse exploit in history,” Stanley said of those buried in Gaza.

During World War Two, multiple Australian hospitals were set up in and around Gaza, Stanley said, “and so men who died of wounds in those hospitals are also buried in the Gaza War Cemetery”.

“They’re very cherished by the families with a connection to these people, and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s cemeteries are beautifully preserved and maintained in most places.”

There are also 772 Australian war graves in Israel, according to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs — 553 from World War One and 229 from World War Two.

What is the extent of the damage?

In a statement published to its website on Monday, the CWGC said the cemetery had suffered “extensive damage”.

“It is unlikely we will be able to enter Gaza for some time and are not able to protect the sites from further damage,” the statement read.

A spokesperson for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs told SBS News the CWGC had determined that “there has been significant damage to the Gaza War Cemetery and this includes the graves of Australians as well as other nations”.

“The Office of Australian War Graves is very concerned by the damage to the cemetery and Australian war graves.”

They said the CWGC planned to secure and repair the cemetery as soon as it was 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”.

Israel previously paid compensation for damaging the cemetery in operations in 2006 and 2009.

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