Families of Canadian military personnel interred in Gaza are urging the government to take stronger actions to safeguard their loved ones’ final resting places. They are expressing their desire for the repatriation of their relatives, who are among the last Canadian soldiers buried overseas, from the Gaza War Cemetery, which has sustained repeated damage from the Israel Defense Forces.
The cemetery, located in the Tuffah district of Gaza City, is the burial site for twenty-two Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during the UN’s inaugural major peacekeeping mission following the 1956 Israeli invasion of Egypt. Aerial imagery analyzed by CBC’s visual investigations team reveals a pattern of destruction by the IDF, including the destruction of headstones, construction of berms using heavy machinery, positioning of tanks and armored vehicles around the area, and detonation of explosives causing a section of the Canadian peacekeeper plot to be blasted into the air.
Relatives of soldiers buried in the affected area, such as the sisters of Paul Picard from Quebec and Adriaan Bons from Ontario, voiced their anguish over the desecration of their brothers’ graves. Lia Bons described the heartbreaking transformation of the cemetery into a barren landscape devoid of recognizable headstones. Marguerite Picard expressed her wish to have her brother reinterred alongside their parents to ensure his memory is honored and preserved.
Despite inquiries from CBC News, the IDF, through a representative from the 401st Brigade Combat Team, attributed the damage to combat operations aimed at collapsing a tunnel beneath the cemetery without specific measures to protect the soldiers’ remains. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, responsible for managing the site, was not able to conduct a full assessment due to restricted access.
The destruction of the Gaza War Cemetery has stirred emotions among families of the fallen soldiers, who recall the sacrifices made by their loved ones. The ongoing damage to the site, as observed in recent satellite images, underscores the urgency for comprehensive action to safeguard historical and memorial sites dedicated to those who served. Global Affairs Canada has voiced concern over the reports of damage and emphasized the significance of preserving such sites with utmost reverence. However, specific details on governmental actions with Israel and local authorities remain undisclosed.