Sacred Australian war graves damaged during Gaza fighting

Graves of Australian soldders damaged during ongoing fighting in Gaza will
be repaired as quickly as possible, officials have pledged.

Gaza War Cemetery in Gaza City is the resting place of about 250 Australian troops, with the majority from the famous light horse brigade, killed fighting Turkish forces in World War I.

They're buried alongside thousands of British soldiers in the cemetery, which is managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).

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Earlier reports detailed how satellite images showed the Australian section of the cemetery bore the brunt of damage caused by Israeli military operations in Gaza during its war against Hamas.The Guardian detailed how satellite images showed the Australian section of the cemetery bore the brunt of damage caused by Israeli military operations in Gaza during its war against Hamas.

Comments from witnesses and experts pointed to the destruction being caused by heavy machinery rather than stray artillery fire.

A spokesperson for the Department of Veterans' Affairs said authorities were "very concerned" about the damage.

"The CWGC assesses there has been significant damage to the Gaza War Cemetery and this includes the graves of Australians as well as other nations," a spokesperson told 9News.com.au.

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

"We remain committed to ensuring the restoration of all affected graves as soon as feasible."

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The spokesperson said the CWGC aimed to secure and repair the cemetery as soon as it was safe to do so, but it was expected that full reconstruction would take some time as the immediate post-conflict priority would be directed to humanitarian efforts.

Since the Gaza war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, huge tracts of Gaza have been laid to waste by Israel's offensive.

More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the UN and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

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