“Jerusalem Municipality” warns of imminent collapse of Al-Aqsa Mosque due to Israeli excavations
OCCUPED QUDS, Oct. 23 (YPA) – The Quds Governorate (Jerusalem) on Wednesday issued an urgent warning regarding the risk of a collapse of parts of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, due to the continuous, intensive excavations carried out by the Israeli occupation around its perimeter and deep within the Old City.
The governorate’s municipality described these activities as systematic sabotage operations aimed at undermining the foundations of the Haram (Sanctuary) and altering its historical landmarks.
In an official statement, the governorate affirmed that the pace of Israeli occupation excavations has escalated unprecedentedly in recent weeks, noting that they are concentrated in the southern and western areas of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israeli authorities and settler organizations are digging an intricate network of tunnels beneath historical buildings and ancient roads.
The statement said these tunnels pose a direct threat to the structural integrity of the Mosque, explaining that the excavation work causes the removal of soil and the creation of vast underground voids, leading to the weakening of foundations and the appearance of cracks in the walls of surrounding historical buildings, including Palestinian schools, endowments (Waqf properties), and homes.
Fears of a “Sudden Collapse”
The Jerusalem Governorate indicated that the entire Old City is now threatened with partial collapse as a result of these works, noting that residents have already documented deep cracks and new fissures in several buildings near the Western and Southeastern walls of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The government’s statement warned that continuing the excavations without supervision or engineering oversight could lead to a sudden collapse of parts of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, confirming that this exposes the lives of worshipers and visitors to direct danger and constitutes a deliberate act of vandalism against one of the holiest Islamic sites on Earth.
Calls for Immediate International Intervention
The Jerusalem Governorate held the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for the repercussions of these grave violations, considering what is happening to be part of a comprehensive Judaization policy aimed at erasing the city’s Islamic and Arab identity.
The governorate appealed to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the international community for immediate intervention by sending engineering and technical committees to fact-find, assess the extent of the damage to the site, and work to halt activities that contradict international laws and conventions for the protection of human heritage and places of worship.
Background and Implications
These warnings come at a time of increased settlement activity in occupied Quds (Jerusalem), specifically around the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Israeli settler organizations are seeking to expand what they call “religious tourism routes” beneath the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque through a network of tunnels connecting the Western Wall (Al-Buraq Wall) and the gates of the Old City.
Conversely, Palestinian and international institutions view these activities not merely as archaeological excavations, but as part of a political project aimed at cementing “Israeli occupation sovereignty” over the holy mosque and creating a new underground geographic reality that reshapes the Holy City to serve the biblical narrative.
Palestinian and international institutions have warned of catastrophic repercussions if these works continue without international oversight, as any partial collapse could lead to the destruction of parts of the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque, potentially igniting a widespread wave of popular and Islamic outrage.
YPA