Briefly:
Satellite images show extensive damage to the Gaza War Cemetery in Deir al-Balah, most of which was dedicated to fallen Allied personnel, including more than 250 Australians.
The body that normally oversees the cemetery is no longer able to provide updates on its condition, having evacuated its staff from Gaza.
What then?
Green Party Senator David Shoebridge called on the Albanian government to raise this issue directly with the Israeli government.
Dozens of graves of Australian soldiers in a historic cemetery in Gaza are feared to have been damaged or destroyed following Israeli military operations in recent months.
Earlier this year, international media reports indicated that at least 16 graves were desecrated during the IDF’s ground offensive against Hamas, launched in response to deadly terrorist attacks on October 7.
Recent satellite images have revealed the extent of the damage to one site, the Gaza War Cemetery in Deir al-Balah, which is primarily dedicated to fallen Allied personnel and is managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
The Gaza War Cemetery contains over 3,600 graves of Commonwealth personnel, mostly from World War I. About 260 of the graves are of Australian soldiers, primarily Light Dragoons, killed in 1917.
Now, a series of images produced by Canadian geospatial company SkyWatch appear to show that the Gaza War Cemetery and surrounding areas have suffered extensive damage.
Green Party Senator David Shoebridge, an outspoken critic of Israeli military action who obtained the commercial images, says they reveal a level of destruction and desecration that is “deeply disturbing”.
“These images show for the first time the extent of the damage to the Commonwealth War Graves in Gaza, and we know that within that cemetery there are around 260 Australian war graves,” Senator Shoebridge said.
The extent of the damage to Commonwealth war graves has been revealed just weeks after pro-Palestinian activists They vandalised several memorials along the Anzac Parade in Canberra. In protest against the conflict in Gaza.
Greens The Senate refused to condemn this sabotage. Earlier this month, Senator Jordan Steele John said, “Cartooning is a form of free speech.”
Australia has yet to express concerns about the Israeli military.
In May, the World Heritage Committee issued a statement saying its staff had been safely evacuated from Gaza, noting that its cemeteries “suffered damage, but the extent of the damage is currently unknown,” and pledging to restore the sites “when conditions permit.”
During a parliamentary hearing earlier this month, the Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed that it had not made any inquiries to the Israeli government about the potential destruction of the graves.
In response to Senator Shoebridge’s questions, Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs Alison McLaren said the department instead receives its information from the Commonwealth War Commission, but has not received any further updates since March.
“The Commonwealth War Graves Commission looks after all the war graves in Gaza, including the Australian war graves,” she said.
“As such, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission will conduct an assessment when it is able to access the site.”
Senator Shoebridge is now calling on the Albanian government to raise its concerns directly with Israel about the potential damage to Australian cemeteries.
“I find it extraordinary that they have not done basic investigations into whether Australian war graves have been destroyed or not,” he said.
“Because what you see from the satellite images is that the scale of the destruction is extensive, and that has been clear for months and months.”
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that at least 38,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched military retaliation against Hamas in response to its October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people.
The Greens accused the federal government of not doing enough to convict the victims.
