Ottawa investigating report Gaza cemetery where Canadians were buried was destroyed

OTTAWA — Global Affairs Canada says it is “deeply concerned” by reports the Gaza War Cemetery where nearly two dozen Canadians were buried has been severely damaged or destroyed.

The department responsible for foreign affairs says it is in contact with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which manages the grave site.

The Royal Canadian Legion says it was “devastated” to hear reports of extensive damage to the cemetery, the final resting place of Canadian Armed Forces members and their Commonwealth comrades who gave their lives in service to their countries.

Last week, the British newspaper The Guardian reported that Israeli forces had “bulldozed” part of the cemetery in al-Tuffah last year.

The newspaper said satellite photos show “no visible trace left” of a plot set aside for Canadian UN peacekeepers, and quoted the graveyard’s former caretaker, Essam Jaradah, saying he witnessed the bulldozing.

The Israel Defense Forces told the newspaper it took “operational measures” to “neutralize identified threats” in a combat zone and that underground infrastructure “within the cemetery” and in structures nearby was being used as cover.