'Hundreds' injured in clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians at Jerusalem al-Aqsa mosque

At least 50 Palestinians have been hospitalised during fresh clashes with Israeli police at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam.

As Israelis mark Jerusalem Day - a national holiday that celebrates the capture of East Jerusalem in 1967 - police hurled stun grenades and Palestinians threw rocks in the mosque's compound in the Old City.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Monday that “there are hundreds of people injured in the clashes” including around 50 who have been hospitalised.

Israeli police had sought to ease Jerusalem Day tensions by banning Jews from gathering at Temple Mount, a plaza revered in Judaism that also houses the al-Aqsa complex.

The force may also divert or cancel a nationalist parade through the Old City which is due to take place later on Monday.

Over the weekend, 300 Palestinians were injured in clashes at Damascus Gate and al-Aqsa, while similar protests erupted in the northern city of Haifa and in the West Bank.

Al-Aqsa, the third holiest site in Islam, is often a focal point for clashes in Jerusalem during the month of Ramadan, while many Palestinians regard Jerusalem Day marches as a provocation.

Tensions are also being fuelled by Israeli plans to evict around a dozen Palestinian families from their neighbourhood in Sheikh Jarrah, so that they can be replaced by Jewish settlers.

Palestinians claim the eviction process, which is based on a ruling that the homes were owned by Jewish associations before the foundation of Israel, is an attempt to expand Israel’s presence in East Jerusalem.

But the Israeli foreign ministry says the row is a “real estate dispute between private parties” that it says is being exploited by Palestinian militant groups to encourage violence.

A court hearing on whether to proceed with evictions was due to take place on Monday but was postponed by the supreme court, with a new date to be set within 30 days.

The UN Security Council is due to hold closed consultations on Monday about the soaring tensions in Jerusalem. Diplomats said the meeting was requested by Tunisia, the Arab representative on the council.

Israel has faced growing pressure from the United States to call off evictions and construction in East Jerusalem, but prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he “emphatically” rejects those appeals.

“Just as every people builds its capital and in its capital, so too do we reserve the right to build Jerusalem and in Jerusalem. This is what we have done and what we will continue to do,” Mr Netanyahu said on Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, the Pope called for an end to the clashes in Jerusalem as he warned that “violence breeds violence.”

Jordan also urged Israel to stop what it described as "barbaric" attacks on worshippers at al-Aqsa mosque, where dozens of Palestinians were injured by police stun grenades and rubber on Friday night.