| Location: |
Gaza is 3 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean coast, 65
kilometres south-east of Tel Aviv. From Israel stop at the Erez Crossing
point and enter the VIP cabin for a pass to enter Gaza. Walk through "no
man's land" to the taxis on the other side. Gaza War Cemetery is 1.5
kilometres north-east of the city near the Bureir Road and 370 metres from
the railway station. The Cemetery is approximately 8 kilometres to the
left of the main dual carriageway, Highway 250 through Gaza, and is about
200 metres back from the road through an avenue of trees. Alternatively,
turn left off the highway after 4 kilometres, continuing with Highway 4
until Sha'arei Aza junction and turn right, then turn right into Gaza
proper, heading back towards the border. In this direction the cemetery
will be found on the right hand side after approximately 3
kilometres.
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| Historical Information: |
Gaza was bombarded by French warships in April 1915. At the end of
March 1917, it was attacked and surrounded by the Egyptian Expeditionary
Force in the First Battle of Gaza, but the attack was broken off when
Turkish reinforcements appeared. The Second Battle of Gaza, 17-19 April,
left the Turks in possession and the Third Battle of Gaza, begun on 27
October, ended with the capture of the ruined and deserted city on 7
November. Casualty clearing stations arrived later that month and general
and stationary hospitals in 1918. Some of the earliest burials were made
by the troops that captured the city. About two-thirds of the total were
brought into the cemetery from the battlefields after the Armistice. The
remainder were made by medical units during the occupation. During the
Second World War, Gaza was an Australian hospital base, and the AIF
Headquarters were posted there. Among the military hospitals in Gaza were
2/1st Australian General Hospital, 2/6th Australian General Hospital, 8th
Australian Special Hospital, and from July 1943 until May 1945, 91 British
General Hospital. There was a Royal Air Force aerodrome at Gaza, which was
considerably developed from 1941 onwards. Gaza War Cemetery contains 3,217
Commonwealth burials of the First World War, 781 of them unidentified.
Second World War burials number 210. There are also 30 post war burials
and 234 war graves of other nationalities.
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