The foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque are being silently eaten away. Beneath Jerusalem’s sacred ground, a vast network of Israeli-led excavations expands each day, threatening not only the mosque’s physical stability but also its spiritual and historical identity. The digging continues in secrecy, while cracks widen through the Old City’s ancient walls, and fears grow that one of the most revered Islamic landmarks may soon face irreparable damage.

Experts and residents alike warn that the excavations go far beyond archaeology. Soil and stone are being removed from under the southern and western edges of the mosque, beneath the Women’s Mosque and the Islamic Museum, leaving fragile voids supported by temporary beams. According to engineers monitoring the site, even a slight tremor could bring parts of the compound crashing down. Observers say this is not preservation but transformation: an attempt to replace Islamic and Arab heritage with a fabricated biblical narrative.

The network of tunnels beneath Al-Aqsa has evolved into something much more extensive, some now host tourist facilities, synagogues, and event halls. Palestinian officials say this underground expansion aims to rewrite the city’s geography and history, turning sacred Islamic ground into a biblical-themed complex while excluding Muslims from knowing or accessing what lies below. The result is a form of cultural erasure carried out beneath the surface of occupied Jerusalem.

Religious leaders warn that the excavations amount to a political and religious war waged through engineering. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem has urged Arab and international intervention before the damage becomes irreversible. His message is stark: the danger is no longer theoretical, Al-Aqsa is being dismantled from below, stone by stone, in a quiet campaign to erase what it represents.