Al-Aqsa Mosque Faces Imminent Collapse Due to Israeli Excavations
Former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Ekrima Sabri Warns
Al-Aqsa Mosque Preacher Sheikh Ekrima Sabri has warned that ongoing Israeli excavations beneath and around the compound pose grave threats to Islam’s third holiest site.
Delivering the Friday sermon at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Sabri described the excavations as part of a “systematic campaign” to erase the site’s Islamic identity and prepare the ground for constructing the so-called “Temple” on its ruins.
“The occupation authorities are digging relentlessly under the Mosque’s foundations, causing visible cracks in its walls and courtyards,” Sheikh Sabri said. “This is not coincidental — it is a calculated plan to Judaize the site, weaken its structure, and obliterate its Islamic character, while the international community remains disgracefully silent.”
His remarks came as tens of thousands of worshipers attended Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa despite heavy Israeli restrictions. A special funeral prayer in absentia was also held for the martyrs of Gaza and the West Bank who have been killed in Israel’s continuing assaults.
Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli forces set up metal barriers and checkpoints at the entrances to the Old City and Al-Aqsa compound, detaining Palestinian youths, seizing their identity cards, and preventing many from entering the Mosque. Locals said these measures are part of a broader effort to curb Palestinian presence in Occupied Jerusalem and tighten Israeli control over access to the holy site.
Despite these restrictions, thousands of Palestinians from Jerusalem and the territories occupied since 1948 managed to reach the Mosque, reaffirming their determination to defend their right to worship at Al-Aqsa.
Reiterating that Al-Aqsa Mosque “belongs solely to Muslims,” Sheikh Sabri warned that continued silence from the Arab and Islamic world could lead to disastrous consequences for the sacred site.
“The danger is real and imminent,” he said. “If the excavations persist, we may wake up one day to find parts of Al-Aqsa collapsed. It is the duty of every Muslim and every free person to act before it is too late.”
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