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JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Fifteen Palestinians were injured, and three were detained in the Old City of Jerusalem on Monday, medics said.

Medic Iyad Abu Sneineh said 15 people were injured in the clashes, including five who were taken to hospital for treatment. Among the injured was a man shot in the chest with a rubber-coated steel bullet, and an elderly woman hit in the foot with a stun grenade.

Israeli forces also beat and arrested three people in the same area. The arrested were identified as the imam of al-Bahr mosque in Jaffa Mohammad Ayesh, Salih Sweiti, 22, and Hussam Seder.

A Ma’an reporter said that clashes started when Israeli forces suddenly attacked worshippers who were prevented from entering the al-Aqsa compound with stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets. Female worshippers threw empty water bottles and shoes at the deployed forces.

Islamic endowments director in Jerusalem Azzam al-Khatib told Ma’an that “the closure of the al-Aqsa mosque is rejected. It is a clear violation of the religious rights of Muslims, and a violation of freedom of worship.”