The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate revealed on Sunday that Israel is conducting excavations beneath the Al-Aqsa Mosque, targeting Islamic antiquities that affirm Muslims’ rightful claim to the site.

According to a statement reviewed by Anadolu Agency, the Jerusalem Governorate said “leaked videos (source unspecified) exposed illegal demolition and excavation operations carried out by Israeli occupation authorities beneath the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

It added that these operations “deliberately target Islamic antiquities dating back to the Umayyad period (661–750 AD), which serve as living evidence and conclusive proof of Muslims’ rights to the site.”

The statement continued that “the occupation authorities are working to destroy these Islamic archaeological landmarks to erase the historical identity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and falsify facts in favor of the alleged Temple narrative.”

Israeli extremists claim that Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem was built on the ruins of a “Temple” constructed by the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him), and they call for the mosque’s destruction and rebuilding of the Temple in its place.

The Jerusalem Governorate confirmed that “these crimes represent a direct assault on human heritage and Islamic civilization, and a blatant violation of international laws and antiquities protection agreements.”

It pointed out that “these excavations are conducted secretly or semi-secretly, away from any international oversight, which increases the risks to the foundations and historical features of Al-Aqsa Mosque, threatens its architectural stability, and leads to the destruction of priceless historical evidence.”

The governorate noted that the Israeli occupation “seeks through these practices to impose new facts on the ground that serve its settlement projects and Judaization plans for the city.”

The Jerusalem Governorate warned that continuing to break and remove these Umayyad Islamic antiquities is “a systematic crime targeting Palestinian and Islamic memory and identity.”

It stressed that “what is happening beneath the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque is a major crime against history and humanity.”

The governorate called on the international community, UNESCO, and the United Nations to “intervene immediately to stop these violations and hold the occupation accountable for its crimes.”

It stated that Al-Aqsa Mosque “will remain with its antiquities and history an integral part of the Islamic nation’s identity that cannot be erased or falsified.”

The governorate did not specify the exact location of the excavations, but Israeli authorities have been tunneling beneath the mosque for many years, despite the Jerusalem Endowment Department under the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf being the official supervisor of Jerusalem’s endowments under international law, which recognizes Jordan as the last local authority overseeing these holy sites before their occupation by Israel.

In March 2013, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed an agreement granting Jordan the right of “custodianship and defense of Jerusalem and its holy sites” in Palestine, including Jerusalem.