Anthony Albanese raises bulldozed Australian war graves with Israeli president | Australian military

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese directly raised the issue of Australian war graves, which the Israeli army bulldozed in Gaza, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Dozens of Australian war graves, mostly of soldiers who died in Palestine during the Second World War, were bulldozed by the Israel Defense Forces in April and May last year. Satellite images show the southern corner of the Gaza Commonwealth War Cemetery being destroyed, headstones being destroyed and soil being pushed into the embankment by machinery.

Many of the graves in this corner of the cemetery (sections A and B) contain the remains of Australian soldiers.

After the Guardian’s report last week, the Australian embassy in Tel Aviv raised the issue with both the Israeli foreign ministry and defense ministry.

This week, the prime minister raised the issue directly with Herzog at meetings in Canberra, telling the president the importance of making repairs as quickly as possible. The Australian government has confirmed that its citizens’ graves will be restored once it is safe.

Regarding the desecration of Australian graves in Gaza, Penny Wong told the Senate estimates: “All the graves and sites where Australians fell and are interred are of great significance to our country, particularly to the Australian veterans’ community, but to all of us.”

“This is an issue of great importance to the government, it is an issue of great importance to the veterans community, and we have spoken clearly with Israel about the importance of these graves to Australians.”

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Wilma Spence’s father, Albert Kemp, an Anzac medalist who died in Palestine during the Second World War, was buried in the cemetery.

In a moving interview over the weekend, Spence told Guardian Australia of his family’s grief and shock when they learned his father’s grave had been destroyed.

Spence said he still had not received any information from the Australian government about his father’s grave and had been told the Australian War Graves Commission could not meet with him about individual graves.

He wanted to know whether the Prime Minister had asked Herzog to pay for the restoration of the cemetery and questioned why the government was not stronger in condemning the destruction.

“I’m wondering why they’re not saying anything, that’s what makes me think,” Spence said. “Where are the press releases? Why didn’t they say anything as soon as they found out?”

The ACT’s independent senator, David Pocock, raised the issue in the Senate estimates, telling the Guardian it was “unacceptable that the IDF is bulldozing Australian war graves in Gaza”.

“I am also concerned about the government’s apparent reticence to call on the Israeli government to account and fully fund the restoration. Why should the Commonwealth War Graves Commission be responsible for the restoration?”

“When you look at satellite images and eyewitness accounts it is clear that the cemetery has been bulldozed, but we do not have a full picture of the extent to which the graves have been degraded.”

Pocock said Australians’ war graves were sacred places.

“And I think there’s an expectation that when they’re disrespected, we use every tool at our disposal to hold accountable those responsible,” he said.

The Tuffah district of Gaza City, where the cemetery is located, has been bombed throughout the current conflict. However, more systematic and comprehensive damage occurred due to military excavation works in April and May last year.

Essam Jarada, the former caretaker of the Gaza cemetery, whose house is nearby, said that two bulldozing operations were carried out in the cemetery in April and May 2025.

“A little less than an acre [1,000 sq metres] Inside the cemetery walls, particularly in the corner of the cemetery where the graves of Australian soldiers were located, had been bulldozed. Bulldozers covered the area from the bench where foreign visitors sat in front of the monument. The bulldozers also created sand dunes that were used as soil barriers,” Jarada said.

“I witnessed this bulldozing after the Israeli army withdrew from the area in late April or early May.”

After being shown satellite images of the cemetery, the IDF said it had to take defensive measures during military operations.

“During IDF operations in the region, terrorists tried to attack IDF troops and took shelter in structures close to the cemetery. Operational measures were taken to neutralize the threats detected in the region in order to ensure the security of IDF troops serving on the ground.”

In response to a series of questions, an Australian Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman told the Guardian there was “significant damage” to the Gaza War Cemetery and “this includes the graves of Australians”.

“The Australian War Graves Office is very concerned about the damage to the cemetery,” they said.

“The Commonwealth War Graves Commission plans to secure and repair the cemetery as soon as it is safe, but full reconstruction is expected to take some time as immediate post-conflict priority will be directed to humanitarian efforts.”

The Guardian has requested comment from the Israeli president’s office.