Abstract
Given its political, historical, and religious importance to the Palestinian people, Al Aqsa Mosque has become a focal point in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and has ignited several popular uprisings in recent years. This chapter seeks to delve deeply into the background and causes of the outbreak of the uprisings and confrontations in Al Aqsa Mosque in recent years, particularly with a focus on understanding how and why Al Aqsa Mosque, and Jerusalem generally, has emerged as a new flashpoint for tensions in the Gaza Strip in 2021 and 2022. The chapter argues that the 2021 and 2022 Al Aqsa Mosque events that erupted between the Palestinians and Israel contributed to the “repositioning" of the holy place as a central point of the conflict—a conflict that had been largely centred in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In this shift, the role of Hamas has also become more prominent on the Palestinian side as a part of the conflict.