Hamas planned to exhume the graves of British and Commonwealth troops buried in Gaza and use the remains as leverage to blackmail the British government, according to a report by the Telegraph.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has maintained a cemetery in Gaza for over a century, containing the remains of more than 3,000 Commonwealth troops from the World Wars. Many of these soldiers died in 1917, fighting the Ottomans during a conflict that led to British rule in Palestine.
Israeli forces reportedly discovered a seven-page document dated October 5, 2022, detailing the plan. The document outlined Hamas' intention to pressure the UK government into reversing its stance on Jerusalem, following then-Prime Minister Liz Truss's announcement to relocate the British embassy from Tel Aviv.