{"id":30609,"date":"2026-03-17T06:11:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T06:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=30609"},"modified":"2026-03-17T06:11:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T06:11:09","slug":"australian-soldiers-bodies-very-likely-disturbed-by-israeli-bulldozing-at-gaza-cemetery-senator-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=30609","title":{"rendered":"Australian soldiers\u2019 bodies \u2018very likely\u2019 disturbed by Israeli bulldozing at Gaza cemetery, senator says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

David Pocock\u2019s comments come as new photos show the scale of damage, and a government official says it’s quite possible bodies were disturbed<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bodies of Australian soldiers buried in Gaza have \u201cvery likely\u201d been disturbed, the independent senator David Pocock<\/a> says, as new photos tendered to parliament show widespread damage of graves by Israeli bulldozers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 146 of the 263 graves of Australian soldiers buried in Gaza<\/a> have been damaged, Senate estimates heard last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wilma<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

New pictures tendered to Senate estimates show damage to headstones, as well as tonnes of earth displaced and pushed into high berms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The director of the Office of Australian War Graves, Maj Gen Wade Stothart, also estimated that it was \u201cquite possible\u201d that the bodies of soldiers had been disturbed, moved or damaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pocock told the Guardian: \u201cDepartment of Veterans Affairs officials have now confirmed that the bodies of our fallen soldiers may have been disturbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut looking at the pictures that have now emerged, I\u2019d say it looks very likely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the 263 Australian graves in Gaza cemetery are those of light horsemen who served in the First World War. But the worst damage has been sustained to the southern corner of the cemetery, which houses the graves of Australians who died during the Second World War.<\/p>\n\n\n\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\u00a0Israel<\/a>\u00a0Defence Forces bulldozers occurred in April and May of last year to the southern corner of the cemetery. Hundreds of graves have been desecrated and earthen berms built up across the cemetery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Land<\/a>
A report tendered to Senate estimates shows Australian war graves that have been bulldozed in Gaza. Composite: Commonwealth War Graves Commission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The revelations, published in the Guardian<\/a>, caused widespread outrage, including from Australian families who spoke of their shock<\/a> at learning their relatives\u2019 graves had been bulldozed and that their remains were unaccounted for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stothart was asked about the damage last week, telling Senate estimates: \u201cThe photographs and the satellite imagery that have been reported in the media are very evident of severe damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA detailed survey and assessment of every grave, the remains and the amount of damage that has occurred are difficult to assess at this stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have not received direct reports that human remains have been exposed or damaged directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever, from looking at the imagery and the overhead satellite imagery, it\u2019s quite possible that Australian servicemen in war graves have been affected by the damage that\u2019s occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked whether he would expect that the bodies of Australian soldiers had been disturbed, Stothart said: \u201cIt\u2019s quite possible, but, again, the direct hard evidence will require on-the-ground assessment and survey of the burial plots and the graves that have been affected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no current plan or timeline to repair the graves because of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pocock told the estimates hearing he had been contacted by a number of constituents \u201cvery concerned\u201d about potential damage to the graves of family members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He later told the Guardian: \u201cAmid other breaches of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, it is appalling that Australian war graves in Gaza have been bulldozed by the Israeli Defence Force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The independent senator said the latest revelations \u201cwill be distressing for the descendants of soldiers and many Australians\u201d. He said the Australian government should press Israel to restore the graves. skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilma Spence, whose Anzac father, Albert Kemp, is buried in the cemetery, said she wanted the pictures of the damage published on the front pages of every Australian and British newspaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said they suggested the IDF was intent on destroying the cemetery by knocking down boundary walls, sending trucks traversing across the cemetery, and destroying the stone of remembrance and the memorial cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClearly, representation made from the [Commonwealth War Graves Commission] or local offices in Tel Aviv is not high enough and is being ignored,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy thoughts are that representation must now come from the Australian and British prime ministers to the Israeli prime minister and be asking that no further damage occur. Maybe King Charles could also represent the Commonwealth in this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julie Shiels, whose mother\u2019s first husband, William Frederick Matthews, was buried in the cemetery in 1941, also demanded that Israel explain why further destruction had occurred, including the removal of boundary walls and damage to the stone of remembrance and memorial cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe dead should be able to rest in peace, and the living have the responsibility to make sure it happens,\u201d she said. \u201cBilly\u2019s headstone, if it still exists, says \u2018Treasured in life, honoured in death, ever remembered\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After being shown satellite images of the damage to the Gaza cemetery, the IDF said it had been forced to take defensive measures during military operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\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\n\n\n

Last month, the Canadian broadcaster CBC reported that the IDF had confirmed it had excavated below the graves up to a depth of 30 metres, but could not say whether it had taken any steps to preserve human remains. It said it excavated the cemetery to destroy a Hamas tunnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australian families have demanded an apology from the state of Israel, as well as promises it would pay for reparations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The office of the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, last month said he had told<\/a> the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, he had \u201ccommitted to checking the issue with the relevant officials and authorities upon his return to Israel\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further questions to Herzog\u2019s office have received no response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reference Link:- https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2026\/mar\/16\/australian-soldiers-bodies-very-likely-disturbed-by-israeli-bulldozing-at-gaza-cemetery-senator-says<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Pocock\u2019s comments come as new photos show the scale of damage, and a government official says it’s quite possible bodies were disturbed The bodies of Australian soldiers buried in Gaza have \u201cvery likely\u201d been disturbed, the independent senator David Pocock says, as new photos tendered to parliament show widespread damage of graves by Israeli bulldozers. About […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[26748,1737,28011,28012,28013],"class_list":["post-30609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sample-category","tag-australia-3","tag-gaza-2","tag-graves-of-autralian-solders","tag-israel-destroyed-graves-of-australians","tag-israeli-disrespect-to-australian-martyrs","post_format-post-format-aside"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30609"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30611,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30609\/revisions\/30611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}