Why is al-Aqsa at the centre of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

NEW DELHI: More than 5,000 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Saturday, which the Hamas' armed wing said was the start of 'Operation al-Aqsa Flood'. Around 100 Israelis have been killed so far and over 200 Palestinians have lost their lives in retaliatory air strikes.
Why has the operation been named al-Aqsa flood?

The al-Aqsa lies at the heart of Jerusalem's Old City on a hill known to the Jews as Temple Mount, and to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, or The Noble Sanctuary.


Muslims regard the site as the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. Al-Aqsa is the name given to the whole compound and is home to two Muslim holy places: the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, also known as the Qibli Mosque, which was built in the 8th century AD.

The compound overlooks the Western Wall, a sacred place of prayer for Jews, for whom the Temple Mount is their most sacred site. Jews believe biblical King Solomon built the first temple there 3,000 years ago. A second temple was razed by the Romans in AD 70.

Israel captured the site in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it with the rest of East Jerusalem and adjoining parts of the West Bank in a move not recognized internationally.

Why is al-Aqsa a flashpoint?The al-Aqsa compound has long been a flashpoint for deadly violence over matters of sovereignty and religion in Jerusalem.

Under the longstanding "status quo" arrangement governing the area, which Israel says it maintains, non-Muslims can visit but only Muslims are allowed to worship in the mosque compound.

Jewish visitors have increasingly prayed more or less openly at the site in defiance of the rules, and Israeli restrictions on Muslim worshippers' access to the site have led to protests and outbreaks of violence.

In 1996, the opening of a new access tunnel near the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a gesture perceived by the Palestinians as a desecration of this holy site, provoked clashes that left more than 80 people dead in three days.

In 2000, the Israeli politician Ariel Sharon, then opposition leader, led a group of Israeli lawmakers onto the Temple Mount/al-Haram al-Sharif complex. Palestinians protested, and there were violent clashes that quickly escalated into the second Palestinian uprising, also known as the al-Aqsa Intifada.


Clashes at the site in 2021 contributed to setting off a 10-day war with Gaza.

The al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a place where the slightest incident can escalate.

Over the past decade, it is where all the major Palestinian uprisings have started. Beyond its religious and symbolic significance, it has served as an outlet for years of pent-up frustrations and anger.
(With inputs from agencies)