The Palestinian Foreign Ministry pointed out Sunday that Al-Aqsa Mosque is still subjected to the most heinous forms of targeting and Judaization as part of an official Israeli policy to achieve its racist colonial goals.

In a statement on the 53rd anniversary of the burning of the mosque, the ministry indicated that Al-Aqsa is subject to continuous Israeli aggression through a wide range of occupation measures.

According to the ministry, the Israeli occupation is attempting to isolate Al-Aqsa from its Palestinian surroundings and besiege it by preventing Palestinian citizens from accessing it and depriving them of praying in the mosque, while imposing more restrictions and collective punishments.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry stressed that it has become clear that the Israeli occupation authorities continue to implement their plans against Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to establish its temporal division on the path of spatially dividing it.

The statement underlined that these plans are accompanied by a fierce campaign launched by the Israeli occupation authorities against the Islamic Endowment Department with the aim of removing its powers and preventing it from exercising its various duties toward Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Palestinian Ministry warned that what Al-Aqsa Mosque is subjected to is part of the processes of Judaization and deepening of illegal Israeli settlements in Al-Quds through its attempt to forcefully impose changes in its features and cultural identity.

Relevant institutions and authorities revealed mysterious and suspicious excavations that threaten #AlAqsa Mosque and its surroundings were carried out by the Israeli occupation.#Palestine pic.twitter.com/zhNJLC4CeI

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 30, 2022

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry held the Israeli occupation responsible for its violations and crimes against Al-Aqsa Mosque and warned of the dangers facing the Mosque on a daily basis.

It is noteworthy that on August 21, 1969, a Zionist Australian extremist named Michael Dennis stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque and deliberately set fire to its eastern side, which led to the destruction of its facades, ceiling, carpets, and furniture.

The burning of Al-Aqsa Mosque provoked huge reactions among Arabs and Muslims. The next day, thousands of Muslims performed Friday prayers in the outer courtyard of the Mosque.

Demonstrations erupted in the occupied city of Al-Quds and other Islamic and Arab countries condemning the crime.

Read more: Al-Aqsa Mosque: The crown jewel of Palestine

Israeli excavations threaten Al-Aqsa, undermine historic features

In late June, relevant institutions and authorities revealed that excavations made by "Israel" under Al-Aqsa Mosque are threatening its foundations, revealing that new cracks have appeared in the floor of the Holy Mosque.

The cracks appeared near the Islamic Museum and the Mughrabi Gate adjacent to Al-Buraq Wall, all the way to the Umayyad palaces area.

On its part, the Council of Endowments, Islamic Affairs, and Holy Sanctuaries in the occupied city of Al-Quds said it is following the dangerous activities of "Israel" in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa.

The council stated that the "Israel" Antiquities Authority and the "Elad" settlement association have been conducting suspicious and mysterious excavations in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially from the southern and western sides adjacent to the mosque's external foundation, in the areas of Al-Buraq Wall and the Umayyad palaces.

The Council also indicated that it has been monitoring for a while a group of workers using bulldozers and heavy excavating machinery working at an extremely suspicious fast pace in the said areas.

According to the Council, the works included digging the sand out and making holes in the walls adjacent to the southern wall of the mosque.

Observers have also monitored continuous crushing for months of important huge archaeological stones, which are converted into smaller stones in order to hide their traces and are removed in the guise of mounds intended for rubbish.