Israel 'emptying' Al-Aqsa facilities to undermine Waqf, watchdog warns
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Wed, 06/10/2026 - 13:21
Palestinian monitoring group says authorities are targeting four key sites across the mosque complex as part of broader effort to sideline Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf
Israeli forces during a raid into Al-Aqsa Mosque stand watch as Muslim worshippers gather for Friday noon prayers, in Jerusalem's Old City on 10 April 2026 (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
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Israel has emptied four facilities within the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex that served as offices for the Islamic Waqf, in what a monitoring group has described as an escalating campaign against the Jordanian-backed body.
The Al-Quds International Institution, a Palestinian organisation that monitors developments in Jerusalem, said on Tuesday that Israeli authorities have used "manufactured security pretexts" to target the facilities.
According to the group, Israeli forces raided the sites in recent months, broke their locks and prevented the installation of replacements.
The facilities were then left open, while anyone attempting to enter them was expelled because they had been used for "activities that threaten security".
The four sites are the Dome of Imam al-Ghazali, located above the Bab al-Rahma prayer hall along the eastern wall of the complex; Dar al-Hadith al-Sharif in the northeastern section of Al-Aqsa; Qubbat Sulayman, an open-air domed shrine opposite King Faisal Gate; and Qubbat Musa, located near Bab al-Silsila (Chain Gate).
The organisation noted that the facilities are located at the four corners of the mosque complex, suggesting that their selection was deliberate rather than coincidental.
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It warned that emptying them could pave the way for Israeli police to extend their control over Al-Aqsa's landmarks and facilities and establish themselves as a de facto administrative authority in place of the Waqf.
Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam, spans around 144,000 square metres in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem.
The vast walled complex contains dozens of shrines, prayer spaces, schools and courtyards spread across the site.
Under the decades-old, internationally recognised status quo arrangement, administration and maintenance of the complex fall under the exclusive authority of Muslim institutions.
Since Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, that role has been carried out by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, a Jordanian-appointed body.
However, the Waqf has faced increasing Israeli measures in recent years aimed at curbing its authority and expanding Israeli control over the site.
Waqf officials have repeatedly told Middle East Eye that Israeli restrictions have made it increasingly difficult for staff to enter the complex or carry out routine maintenance and repair work.
Far-reaching consequences
The Al-Quds International Institution said the latest measures against the four facilities should be viewed in the context of previous Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa, warning that they may constitute a gradual attempt to appropriate the sites and disable the Waqf departments operating within them.
"The consequences of these measures extend far beyond their already dangerous immediate effects," the organisation said.
It called on Jordan to adopt "a serious strategy" to protect Al-Aqsa and prevent the erosion of its custodial role, arguing that statements of condemnation alone are insufficient.
The group also urged Arab and Muslim states to recognise what it described as an existential threat to Al-Aqsa Mosque and to assume greater responsibility for its protection.
Last month, MEE revealed that the United States and Israel were "actively working" to strip Jordan of its historic custodianship over Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Multiple sources said a new arrangement was being pursued that would align management of the revered Muslim site more closely with Israeli interests, with the Waqf effectively sidelined.
The United States has denied the plan.
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