Al Jazeera has quoted  Israeli police as saying that the three gunmen reached one of the gates near the Al Aqsa compound, opened fire and fled towards Al Aqsa mosque where they were shot dead by Israeli police officers.

The Jerusalem Post has reported that three Israeli males, including two police officers, were injured.

Of them two are now in a very critical condition, one had been lightly wounded and is fully conscious.

According to reports, the Palestinians exchanged fire with the police officers near the Dung Gate of the Old City.

Al Jazeera has quoted the Al Aqsa mosque management as saying that the bodies of two Palestinians were inside the courtyard of the mosque compound.

Israeli police ordered the closure of the compound, saying there would be no prayers at the site on Friday.

The ancient, marble-and-stone compound houses the Al Aqsa mosque, Islam's third-holiest site, and the 7th century Dome of the Rock.

Thousands pray there every Friday.

The western wall of the compound, also known as the Wailing Wall, is considered the holiest site in Judaism.

In a separate incident on Friday, Israeli forces shot dead an 18-year-old Palestinian during a raid in Dheisheh refugee camp south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

Image: Shmuel Spiegelman/Wikipedia