Note: This video was researched and recorded before the recent escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including the joint United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran that began in late February 2026 and the subsequent broader conflict that has continued into March 2026.

_______________________________________

More than a century ago, soldiers from across the British Empire were buried in the sand outside Gaza after the battles of the First World War. Among them were 23 Canadians, laid to rest in what is now known as Gaza War Cemetery (22 peacekeepers and one airman from WWII).

Today that cemetery sits in the middle of one of the most contested places on earth.

In this episode of Dead Canadians, Stephanie Allen explores the history of the cemetery, the Canadians buried there, and the principles that govern the protection of war graves during armed conflict. Under the Geneva Conventions, burial sites and cemeteries are protected locations even in wartime. The dead are to be treated with dignity, their graves preserved and marked wherever possible.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission was created after the First World War to ensure exactly that — that those who died in service would remain buried together near the place where they fell, their graves maintained in perpetuity.

But what happens when war returns to a war cemetery?

Recent reporting has raised troubling questions about possible damage to Gaza War Cemetery, leaving uncertainty for families and historians alike. Were the graves disturbed? Can the site be restored? And what does it mean when a place meant for remembrance becomes part of a modern battlefield?

War graves are meant to provide a fixed place for mourning — an anchor for grief far from home. When that stability is shaken, the sense of loss can feel newly reopened.This episode looks at the history of the cemetery, the Canadians buried there, and the enduring promise that the fallen would never be forgotten.

Sources:

Canadian Virtual War Memorial: https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorialCommonwealth War Graves Commission. Gaza War Cemetery.https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/news/update-on-cwgc-gaza-cemeteries/https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/71701/gaza-war-cemetery/CBC News. Coverage of Gaza War Cemetery and CWGC concerns, 2024–2025.Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols on protection of graves and cultural sites.Longworth, Philip. The Unending Vigil: The History of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.