The families of Canadian soldiers laid to rest in Gaza are urging the government to take stronger measures to safeguard their loved ones’ remains. They are calling for the repatriation of the soldiers, who are the final Canadian troops interred overseas, from a cemetery in Gaza City that has suffered repeated damage by the Israel Defense Forces.
In the Tuffah district of Gaza City lies the Gaza War Cemetery, where 22 Canadian soldiers, who lost their lives during the UN’s inaugural major peacekeeping mission following the Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956, are buried. Aerial images examined by CBC’s visual investigations team reveal the progressive destruction inflicted by the IDF on the cemetery, including the obliteration of headstones, construction of berms using heavy machinery, placement of tanks and armored vehicles around the site, and detonations causing a portion of the Canadian peacekeeper section to be blasted into the air.
Relatives of soldiers buried in the damaged area, such as the sisters of Paul Picard from Quebec and Adriaan Bons from Ontario, expressed distress over the desecration of their brothers’ resting place. Lia Bons described the scene as devoid of headstones, resembling only dirt and sand, with even the surrounding structures no longer standing. Marguerite Picard expressed her desire to reunite her brother with their parents in a new burial location, emphasizing the wish to have his name engraved on a shared headstone.
The IDF, in response to inquiries by CBC News, acknowledged operations to destroy a tunnel beneath the cemetery, resulting in significant excavation within the site. The officer from the 401st Brigade Combat Team of the IDF stated that no precautions were taken to protect the remains of the soldiers buried in the area managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Despite the destruction, no Canadian government representatives or officials from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission have visited the site, with the local family responsible for maintaining the cemetery having fled to Egypt amid the IDF’s actions.
The destruction of the cemetery has deeply affected the families of these soldiers, with Lia Bons lamenting the disturbance of her brother’s final resting place and the absence of a location to pay their respects. Recent satellite images reveal ongoing damage to the site, with structures, including the archway to the Canadian plot, being destroyed.
Canadian officials have expressed concern over the reports of damage to the Gaza War Cemetery, emphasizing the significance of preserving historical and memorial sites dedicated to those who have served. However, specific actions taken with the Israeli government or local authorities remain undisclosed by Canadian authorities.
