Israeli forces stormed Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Sunday morning, firing rubber-coated bullets at "rioters" amid fresh clashes at the flashpoint site, police said. A police spokesperson said masked Palestinian youths "threw stones and firecrackers at police and border police forces" who responded with "riot dispersal means".

Israel Radio reported that the police also used rubber-coated bullets to push people back into the mosque.

The situation was currently "under control", the spokesperson said.

Tensions in and around the holy compound have been running high in recent weeks while Jews marking the beginning of Sukkot, a weeklong festival that celebrates the fall harvest and commemorates the wandering of the ancient Israelites through the desert following the exodus from Egypt. Sunday was also the last day of the three-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Al-Aqsa compound is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest site for Jews who know it as the Temple Mount and revere it as the site of their second temple, which was destroyed in 70 AD.

Israel's Ynet news reported that dozens of Palestinian Muslims who guard the compound, barricaded themselves at the site on Saturday, intending to prevent the entry of far-right Jewish activists who announced they will break into the compound on Sunday morning and hold prayers there.

Israel said on Saturday that it has arrested four Palestinian youths in connection with a stone-throwing attack that led to the death of an Israeli driver in Jerusalem last week. It said that the four suspects, aged 16 to 19, are residents of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher.

The police said the stone-throwing "led to a self-inflicted accident," as Alexander Levlovich, 64, lost control of his car and crashed into a pole. He died of his wounds in hospital.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said all Muslim residents of East Jerusalem would be allowed full access to the site and the entrance of Jews will be restricted to avoid clashes.

Visits to the site by Israeli far-right activists have been on the rise, as part of their struggle to cancel a long-held ban on Jewish prayers there. Palestinians said Israel is violating a status quo agreement from 1967, which allows Jews to visit the site but prohibit them to pray.

Israel has objected to such visits, fearing its potential to incite violence, but the government has changed its mind recently amid pressure from right-wing leaders.

Xinhua - AP