Israel 'emptying' Al-Aqsa facilities to undermine Waqf, watchdog warns

Israel 'emptying' Al-Aqsa facilities to undermine Waqf, watchdog warns Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 06/10/2026 - 13:21 Palestinian monitoring group says authorities are targeting four key sites across the mosque complex as part of broader effort to sideline Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf 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) Off 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.