Claim: Israel bombed al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Fact: The claim is false. The video in question shows Al-Amin Muhammad Mosque in Khan Younis, Gaza and not the al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. Additionally, there is no evidence to suggest that the al-Aqsa Mosque was bombed recently.
Facebook user Zaman Tarar shared a video (archive) of a bombarded mosque, containing the text, “اسرائیل نے مسجد الاقصی کو شہید کر دیا
ہے۔
Masjid Aqsa Main Akhri Azaan”
[Translation: Israel has destroyed the al Aqsa Mosque.
The last call to prayer in al Aqsa Mosque.]
Mosque bombings in Gaza and the West Bank
In January 2025, the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs issued a report detailing Israel’s attacks on religious sites in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Since 7 October 2023, more than 960 mosques have been damaged in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip. 815 Islamic holy sites were completely destroyed, and 151 were partially damaged, with reconstruction costs estimated at $500 million. 20 mosques in the occupied West Bank were attacked during the same period, The New Arab reported.
In October 2024, an Israeli strike on a mosque and school in Deir el-Balah, where many displaced people were taking refuge, killed at least 26 people. The Israeli army stated that it targeted a Hamas command and control center, but did not provide evidence to support this claim.
Additionally, Israeli settlers have carried out multiple raids on the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. During these incursions, settlers reportedly performed religious rituals and restricted Muslim worshippers from entering the compound to pray.
Fact or Fiction?
The mosque shown in the video did not appear to be al-Aqsa to us, although the dome bore some resemblance. To verify its origin and gain more context, we reverse-searched its keyframes. This led us to news reports containing images of the mosque in the video, which confirmed that it was the Al-Amin Muhammad Mosque, located in the Gaza Strip.
According to Morocco World News, a Moroccan news outlet, the Al-Amin Muhammad Mosque, a prominent religious site in Gaza’s Khan Younis, was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in October 2023. The report included a cover image of the same mosque shown in the video being fact-checked.
A News, a Turkish broadcast channel and news website, also covered the incident. The report included an image and footage of both the interior and exterior of the same mosque featured in the viral video being fact-checked. In their report, a Gazan resident, Ramiz Hemidi, described the scene, “We were under the safety of Allah inside this mosque. We performed night prayer at it yesterday. Suddenly this mosque was struck without any initial warning and without telling any of the neighbors. They made elderly people, children, and women scared. Copies of the Koran were shattered on the ground. The mosque was completely destroyed. Why?”
We also found On 8 October 2023, Islamic Strength, a faith-based and community initiative, posted multiple images of the same mosque, taken from different angles, in a post on Instagram from 8 October 2023, which was captioned, “During last night’s Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip, Al-Amin Mohammad Mosque was bombed and completely destroyed. Over 250 Palestinians have been killed by Israel and almost 1,500 injured since yesterday. Keep them in your duas and pray for peace.”
Soch Fact Check also conducted a keyword search using the terms “Al Aqsa,” “bombed,” and “Israel” to check whether Israel had recently launched any attacks on the religious site. We did not find any relevant reports from credible news sources. Given al-Aqsa’s religious and political significance, it is highly unlikely that such an event would occur without widespread coverage in both local and international media.
Therefore, Soch Fact Check concludes that the clip shared in the viral claim does not show the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. It instead shows the Al-Amin Muhammad Mosque in Khan Younis that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in October 2023.
Virality
The claim was shared here, here, and here on Facebook. Archived here, here, and here.
It was shared here on Instagram.
On YouTube, it was shared here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The viral video does not show the al-Aqsa Mosque. It actually shows the Al-Amin Muhammad Mosque in Khan Younis, Gaza. Additionally, there is no evidence to suggest that the al-Aqsa was bombed recently.
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Background image in cover photo: Almukarramah
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