Fifty-six years after a devastating arson attack on one of Islam’s most revered sites, concerns are mounting over what many describe as a sustained campaign to undermine the historical and religious fabric of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Rather than fading with time, the threats appear to have evolved, with daily incursions, archaeological excavations, and attempts to reinterpret the significance of the site posing what local sources term an existential challenge to its integrity and character.

The fire in August 1969, started by a foreign national, caused catastrophic damage, gutting ancient prayer niches, destroying priceless manuscripts, and severely damaging the structure. At the time, fire crews from Palestinian cities were forced to intervene after local authorities were accused of obstructing efforts to extinguish the blaze. Decades later, the physical scars may have been repaired, but the symbolic wound remains open. Today, the compound faces what observers describe as systematic efforts to alter its nature through tunnelling, settler visits accompanied by security forces, and the promotion of narratives that seek to redefine its history. A recent report from the SAFA News Agency highlighted new excavation works in the western plaza, adding to fears that the foundations of the mosque are being deliberately undermined.

Amid rising tensions, there are growing claims that the objective remains the gradual imposition of division, both in time and space, within the sanctuary. Over the past ten years, hundreds of thousands of visitors have entered the site, often under armed protection, with some groups performing religious rituals that are viewed as provocative by worshippers.

These actions, coupled with the obstruction of restoration projects and the weakening of traditional custodial roles, are seen not as isolated incidents but as part of a broader political and religious endeavour to assert control and redraw the boundaries of the sacred. For many, the fear is that the original fire was merely the most visible symptom of a deeper, ongoing effort to erase the Islamic identity of the place and replace it with one rooted in a wholly different tradition.