Israeli forces arrest 19 Palestinian protesters at Jerusalem holy site

Israeli police say they have arrested 19 Palestinians as clashes broke out at a contested Jerusalem holy site.

Police say dozens of Palestinians participated in a prayer protest on Tuesday, attempting to breach a section of the compound that has been closed by Israeli court order for years.

Palestinian medics reported that several protesters were injured in the standoff.

The incident follows a similar scuffle on Monday in which Palestinians tried to break the gate that Israel placed on the closed area last week.

The compound, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, is considered the holiest place in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam. Any trace of Israeli security interference in the shrine, home to the al-Aqsa Mosque, can ignite violence.

Custodianship of Haram al-Sharif - or Temple Mount - is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Palestinians fearing Israel may one day seek to assert further control over the holy site.

Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.