Israeli army bulldozes Gaza cemetery containing Allied soldiers' graves

Israel has used bulldozers to demolish parts of a cemetery in Gaza containing the graves of some of those who died in World War One and World War Two.

Satellite imagery examined by The Guardian has revealed extensive earthworks in al-Tuffah in Gaza City. 

Over the course of several months in 2025, satellite imagery revealed the earth had been churned and rows of gravestones had been removed. 

Essam Jaradah, the graveyard’s former caretaker, told The Guardian he saw two separate bulldozing operations, before the works extended to include "the area from the bench where foreign visitors used to sit, up to the memorial monument".

An Israeli army spokesperson has said the army admits responsibility, claiming "operational measures were taken in the area to neutralise identified threats” and the area at the time was “an active combat zone". 

In February 2025, then UK veterans minister Al Carns said that 10 percent of the headstones at the Gaza War Cemetery and Deir al-Balah War Cemetery had been reported damaged. 

This is not the first time the cemetery has been damaged.  

In 2006, the cemetery was partially damaged by an Israeli missile, resulting in Israel paying £90,000 compensation. 

Three years later, 350 headstones needed repairing after Israel’s 2009 assault on Gaza. 

Concerns were raised over the protection of the Gaza War Cemetery in 2024. It has 3,217 graves, of which 781 are unidentified. 

As well as British and Australian graves from the two major wars of the 20th century, the cemetery includes 30 post-war burials and 234 war graves of other nationalities. 

Residents and journalists have reportedly been prevented from seeing the cemetery in Deir al-Balah.