Israeli police have closed the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to Muslim men under 50. Other visitors are allowed to enter the site, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told reporters.

Police took the step after several Palestinian youths started throwing stones at visitors. The police are said to have responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. At least 13 people have been injured. A group of 20 young Palestinians have now barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which stands on the site next to the Dome of the Rock.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, as it is known by Muslims, is Islam's third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina. Muslims believe it to be the place where the Prophet Muhammad made a night journey to heaven on horseback. It is also the holiest site in the world for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.