Since July 21, 2026, employees of the Waqf Department, which is responsible for managing the affairs of al-Haram al-Sharif have been patrolling the area fearing further excavations that could affect the holy site, as happened in 2018 when guards found a large hole in the ground of al-Miraj Mosque adjacent to the al-Buraq/Western Wall due to nearby Israeli excavations.1 Waqf Department officials poured concrete to close it at the time.

In 2018, Palestinian worshippers and mosque guards were instructed to use their mobile phones to document scenes of Israelis finding rocks and artifacts dating back to the Umayyad period, breaking and crushing them, and removing them in bags. The move drew sharp international criticism, as Sheikh Najeh Bakirat, the deputy director of the Waqf Department at that time, described.

Bakirat said that what Israel has been doing in cooperation with the Jewish Quarter Development Company, the Israeli Ministry of Religious Affairs, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem “is stealing Islamic antiquities in the area of the Umayyad Palaces. In 2018, Waqf [Department] officials said that soil and Islamic antiquities were extracted and moved to remote areas under the pretext that they were stones belonging to the Temple.” He added that signs in Hebrew were put up, as well as “bridges, border crossings, canopies, and awnings as part of a plan to obliterate Islamic antiquities, falsify facts and history, and work to Judaize the entire area.”2

The ongoing excavations beneath al-Aqsa Mosque have historic roots stretching back to the 19th century. A well-known archaeologist in Jerusalem, who asked not to be named, told Jerusalem Story that excavations in and around Jerusalem began more than 150 years ago.3 The first major archaeological excavation, which took place in 1867, was conducted by General Sir Charles Warren of the Royal Engineers, who came to Palestine with the Palestine Exploration Fund.4 This opened a new chapter of biblical excavations in Jerusalem.

Another famous European who worked extensively in Jerusalem was the German architect, archaeologist, and missionary Conrad Schick, who was sent to Jerusalem at age 24 by the St. Chrischona Mission and lived there the rest of his life.

Schick became the city architect of 19th-century Jerusalem, as well as a famous member and expert of a great number of archaeological projects. He also built many meticulous models of holy sites in Jerusalem, mostly of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and al-Haram al-Sharif.

Like other European archaeologists, Warren and Schick aimed to uncover Jewish antiquities in Jerusalem. It was therefore Christian Zionist Europeans who first initiated these excavations.5 Furthermore, as the Jerusalem archaeologist explained, these Europeans excavated without regard for any other archaeological layers, including Islamic ones, often destroying them in their pursuit of the layers they believed evidenced Jewish heritage.

Schick, who was buried in Jerusalem in 1901, left behind models of the excavations he carried out under al-Aqsa Mosque, which facilitated the completion of the excavations by the Israeli authorities. Indeed, Israel relied on his plans to open the first tunnel under al-‘Umariyya School near Bab al-Ghawanima on the northern side of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The excavations have become a priority of Waqf Department authorities and many Jerusalemites. Dr. Yousef Natsheh, director of the Jerusalem Studies Center at Al-Quds University and former director of tourism and antiquities at al-Aqsa Mosque, spoke to Jerusalem Story about the excavation:

Natsheh added:

He concluded his remarks by saying: “A Jewish rabbi was asked more than 20 years ago when he wished to build the Third Temple. The rabbi replied: ‘We want to build the Third Temple in people’s minds first, and everything else will follow.’”

Researcher and Silwan resident Fakhri Abu Diab told Jerusalem Story that the excavations are concentrated around the remains of the Umayyad palaces in Silwan and Wadi Hilweh south of al-Aqsa, specifically on land in al-Khatuniyya. He emphasized that they are being managed by settler associations (see Settler State: Guide to the Israeli Settler Groups That Work to Dispossess Palestinians in Jerusalem) and Israeli institutions with the aim of Judaizing Jerusalem and promoting the Jewish narrative.7

Since 2023, Israel has taken a hard line against the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), preventing the organization from even accessing Jerusalem due to its recent resolutions rejecting Israeli excavations in Jerusalem, around and beneath al-Aqsa Mosque. In this climate, UNESCO officials working in Ramallah preferred not to speak publicly about the excavations, so Jerusalem Story reached out to UNESCO’s Paris headquarters for comment.

A spokesperson for UNESCO stated by email that the UNESCO World Heritage Center continues to monitor the state of conservation of the Old City of Jerusalem and its World Heritage Sites. “UNESCO is aware of reports concerning recent excavation activities and other developments affecting the site,” the spokesperson clarified. “In line with the World Heritage Convention and its Operational Guidelines, the World Heritage Center is following up with all parties to collect updated information on the reported works and assess any potential impact on the property.”8

The Israeli excavations were also mentioned during the emergency meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers in Amman on August 5, 2026.9 Jordan called the meeting due to an “imminent” threat of an Israeli takeover of the most important Muslim site in Jerusalem, with the potential to “trigger a religious conflict.” In addition to the excavations, the meeting came amid increasing extremist Jewish incursions into al-Aqsa Mosque that violate the historic Status Quo agreement regulating the holy sites of Jerusalem and threatened Hashemite Custodianship over al-Aqsa Mosque (see Hashemite Custodianship of the Holy Sites of Jerusalem: A Century of Dynastic Authority and Protection).

The meeting produced the following statement, condemning

The Israeli foreign ministry responded to the Amman meeting by claiming that the statement “is built on false accusations, historical distortions, and a complete disregard for the facts.” It concluded that “Israel remains committed to preserving freedom of worship, maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount, and taking all necessary measures to ensure public order and the safety of all visitors.”11

The danger of excavations is not a bilateral issue between Israel and Jordan or between Israel and Arab and Muslim countries; it is an international issue that must be dealt with accordingly, holding Israel accountable for its accelerating schemes at al-Aqsa Mosque.