Israel 'emptying' Al-Aqsa facilities to undermine Waqf, watchdog warns
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.
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.
Read more: Israel 'emptying' Al-Aqsa facilities to undermine Waqf, watchdog warns
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)