National News
Australian soldiers’ bodies ‘very likely’ disturbed by Israeli bulldozing at Gaza cemetery
The bodies of Australian soldiers buried in Gaza have “very likely” been disturbed, the independent senator David Pocock says, as new photos tendered to parliament show widespread damage of graves by Israeli bulldozers.
As estimated by the Senate, about 146 of the 263 graves of Australian soldiers buried in Gaza have been damaged. 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.
The revelations, published in the Guardian, caused widespread outrage, including from Australian families who spoke of their shock at learning their relatives’ graves had been bulldozed and that their remains were unaccounted for. Despite Pocock’s own concerns, he has stated that there was no current plan or timeline to repair the graves because of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.