Occupied Jerusalem — Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering Jerusalem's Old City for Friday prayers as tensions rose and protests erupted over new security measures at a highly sensitive holy site.

The rare ban came after Israeli ministers decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram Al-Sharif compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Police said later in the day that discretion could be applied in the use of the metal detectors instead of forcing everyone to go through them.

Crowds gathered outside Jerusalem's Old City found shops closed and streets around Damascus Gate — the entrance most heavily used by Palestinians — blocked.

A group of several hundred people, including Muslim leaders, marched towards the Lions Gate entrance to the mosque compound, but police informed them that only men over 50 would be allowed.

Police later fired stun grenades toward the protesters around the Old City.

"We reject Israeli restrictions at the Aqsa Mosque," said Jerusalem's senior Muslim cleric, Grand Mufti Mohammad Hussein.

Muslim leaders and Palestinian political factions had urged the faithful to gather for a "day of rage" on Friday against the new security policies, which they see as changing delicate agreements that have governed the holy site for decades.

But by early afternoon, with police mobilizing extra units and placing barriers to carry out checks at entrances to the Old City, there had been little violence.

The Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service said at least 30 people had been hurt, two seriously and some suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Ahmad Abdul Salaam, a local businessman who came to pray outside the Noble Sanctuary said: "Putting these metal detectors at the entrance to our place of worship is like putting them at the entrance to our house. Are you really going to put me through a metal detector as I go into my house?"

"This is our place of prayer, we have sovereignty here," Salaam added.

On Thursday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to press for the removal of the metal detectors.

Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations' special coordinator for long-stalled Israel-Palestinian peace talks, appealed for calm and the White House urged a resolution. Jordan, which is the ultimate custodian of the holy site, has also been involved in mediation efforts.

But Netanyahu's 11-member security cabinet decided in a late-night meeting to keep the metal detectors in place to ensure no weapons were smuggled in, a week after three Arab-Israeli gunmen shot dead two Israeli policemen in the vicinity of the complex.

A senior Palestinian official says Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked the United States to "intervene urgently" and compel Israel to remove metal detectors from a contested Jerusalem shrine.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh said Friday that Abbas discussed the growing tensions in Jerusalem in a phone call with Trump's top adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Abu Rdeneh says Abbas told Kushner that the situation is "extremely dangerous and may go out of control" unless Israel removes the metal detectors. — Agencies

An Israeli police spokesman says police are banning Muslim men under the age of 50 from a contested Jerusalem shrine ahead of feared mass protests over the installation of metal detectors there.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said Friday that reinforcements are being deployed in and around Jerusalem's Old City, where the walled shrine is located.

He says: "Police and border police units mobilized in all areas and neighborhoods."

Muslim leaders have called for mass protests at Friday noon prayers. They urged worshippers to pray outside the shrine rather than submit to security procedures.

The shrine is revered by Muslims and Jews. Muslim leaders allege Israel is trying to expand its control there by installing the security devices. Police took the action after Palestinians launched a deadly attack from there.