The IDF says it dug up the graves of Canadian soldiers to destroy the Gaza Strip
The Israel Defense Forces told CBC News that they dug 20 to 30 meters from the Gaza war cemetery where 22 Canadian soldiers are buried to destroy the Hamas tunnel.
An IDF official who spoke to CBC News from the base and was involved in fighting in the area said he could not give assurances that the Israeli army had taken steps to preserve human remains.
The news that the cemetery was destroyed during the IDF war was first reported in The Guardian newspaper on Feb. 4, but so far it is not clear whether the damage was to buildings such as headstones and walls or if it included the remains of the dead. Bodies are usually buried two to three meters deep.
CBC News has reached out to the IDF for comment. They provided the spokesperson with the condition that their names not be revealed in the story.
Two cemeteries in Gaza hold the remains of Commonwealth soldiers who died over the decades in both world wars and subsequent peacekeeping missions. The main Gaza War Cemetery is in the Tuffah district of Gaza City in the north of the Gaza Strip. A small cemetery in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces have confirmed to CBC News that they have excavated the Gaza War Cemetery, where many Canadian soldiers are buried. The IDF said efforts had been made to destroy the Hamas tunnel, but would not confirm whether anything was being done to preserve the remains that had been disturbed.
It mainly contains the remains of British, Australian and Indian soldiers who died during the Middle East campaigns of the First and Second World Wars.
At least one Canadian killed during the Second World War, Flight Sgt. Reginald Bowes of the Royal Canadian Air Force, was filmed sleeping among them.
Parts of the mass graves sustained “significant damage,” the Commonwealth War Graves Commission said in a statement, adding “it is unlikely that we will be able to enter Gaza for some time and we cannot protect the sites from further damage.”
A small plot attached to the Gaza War Cemetery also houses the remains of 22 Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during the UN peacekeeping mission in Egypt after the Battle of Suez in 1956. That plot seems to have been completely destroyed.
An Israeli official who spoke to CBC News confirmed that the excavation work was focused on the southern part of the cemetery.
He said the IDF was operating in the area in July and August last year and was working with Hamas fighters who were using the tunnels to travel. That the excavation is done with heavy equipment, operating under war conditions.
The family says it should never have happened
One of the Canadians buried here was Johnny Fickling from Ontario.
His sister, Grace Bolton, now 91 years old, says that her brother was fired from several public works and decided to join the army, serving in Alaska and the Middle East, where he lost his life in October 1966. He has never been able to visit his grave and says that he does not expect to see it again now.
The family has seen satellite images showing the extent of the grave’s destruction.
“I think it’s terrible,” he told CBC News. “It shouldn’t have happened.”
“It looks awful. I don’t think there are many graves now,” Fickling’s niece, Sharon Gibbs, told CBC News. “It’s really disgusting, especially since he was a peacekeeper. There’s a lot of silence.”
The Guardian newspaper used satellite images to confirm reports of damage to the cemetery. In the southeast corner where the Canadian peacekeepers lie, sand tracks and vehicles are visible, but the two-dimensional image did not give a clear picture of the depth of the excavation works.
“There cannot be, in my mind, a valid reason why you would destroy a cemetery,” said Berkley Lawrence, national president of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Lawrence told CBC News it’s already difficult for family members when soldiers are buried thousands of kilometers from home and can’t visit. The destruction of the plot, he told CBC News, “must be very painful. And I’m devastated by it, as is the military.”
The question that remains to be answered is, “what happened to the remains that were there when they were dug up?”
It is unclear when access will be granted
A spokesman for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) said that it currently has no access to the cemeteries in Gaza, which are controlled by the Israeli military, and has limited information on the condition of the cemeteries.
“Our focus is the safety and well-being of our employees and their families, and we are in constant contact with all of them to support them where possible,” the spokesperson said.
“Wown it’s safe to do so, we will complete the testing of our sites before we start properly restoring all those that are down.… We will continue to notify everyone if we can.”
An IDF official who spoke to CBC News said questions about future access to the site are best directed to the Israeli government.
CBC News reached out to the Israeli Embassy but had not received a response by press time.
The CWGC cares for the graves of 110,355 Canadians around the world, all of whom died in the First and Second World Wars except for the 22 peacekeepers buried in Gaza.
Canada ‘deeply concerned’
The Canadian government could not provide specific information about the site’s status.
In a statement, Clemence Grevey of Global Affairs Canada said “Canada is deeply concerned by reports that Gaza War Graves were damaged last year. This includes gravestones belonging to Canadians and a plot dedicated to Canadian peacekeepers at the United Nations. Canada is in contact with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission regarding this matter.”
“Canada emphasizes the importance of ensuring that historic sites and memorials dedicated to those who served are maintained with the utmost respect.”
Veterans Affairs Canada said “military grave markers play an important role in preserving the memory of Canadians who died serving their country in times of war and peace.”
The department said that “once the situation has stabilized, we expect the CWGC to continue with the maintenance of the area, understanding that their work will be guided by the local situation.”
When the IDF first entered Gaza in 2023, the soldiers were surprised to find well-kept Jewish cemeteries marked with Stars of David. The cemetery was maintained by four generations of the same family. Now displaced by the IDF, the family is in Egypt, CWGC said. The Gaza cemetery is part of the Gaza Strip that the IDF has closed to the public and cannot be approached safely.
Fickling’s relatives in Canada say they know of the family that maintained the Gaza War cemetery and appreciate their care.
“The fact that it was destroyed…there are no words to describe it,” Gibbs said.
