Video shows Al-Aqsa Mosque seized by Israelis

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search to corroborate the picture.

Posts from multiple users on social media platforms on April 20, 2025, circulated a video, claiming it showed Al-Aqsa Mosque being seized by Israelis. The footage, however, actually depicts a crowd inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Israeli offensive, which began in response to Hamas’s unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023, has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the housing and hospital infrastructure in the enclave. The death toll is feared to be much higher due to thousands still missing under the rubble.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam and is seen as a symbol of resistance for Palestinians against the Israeli occupation. Over the past few years, the mosque has seen numerous raids by Israeli settlers and military, with 21 raids in the holy month of Ramazan alone in March 2025.

HOW IT STARTED

On April 20, the iVerify Pakistan team was alerted by the public about a video being forwarded on social messaging platform WhatsApp of a crowd gathered in a building, claiming it was Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The video was also shared on X by a user, who appeared to be a PTI supporter based on their past posts, with the caption: “Despite having 57 Islamic countries, Muslims have lost control of Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

The post was viewed over 22,000 times.

The claim was extensively shared across video sharing platforms, including YouTube as can be seen here, here, here, and here, and on TikTok here, here, here, here and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of this claim due to its virality and the public’s interest in Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza and the religious significance of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

A keyword search to corroborate any recent storming or seizure of the mosque did not yield any news reports or videos. A development such as the seizure of Islam’s third holiest site would be expected to have generated global headlines and breaking news, but no results were found.

Reviewing the interior shown in the viral clip showed that it did not correspond with the architectural features of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The dome and the central shrine (Aedicule), visible in the footage, match the interior of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, as per public images available on Google Maps. Christians revere the church as the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

A keyword search yielded news reports covering Holy Fire celebrations at the Holy Sepulchre on April 19. The mysterious, millennium-old ceremony, which celebrates Jesus’s resurrection, has drawn over ten thousand worshippers in previous years.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a video shows Al-Aqsa Mosque being seized by Israelis is false.

The video actually depicts a crowd at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and no news reports were found confirming any recent seizure or storming of the mosque by Israelis.

Evidence and References

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