Three gunmen have opened fire at police near Jerusalem’s holiest site, wounding three Israelis, two of them critically, before the attackers were killed by security forces.

The gunmen arrived at the sacred site, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, and walked towards one of the Old City gates nearby, police spokeswoman Luba Simri said.

“When they saw policemen they shot towards them and then escaped towards one of the mosques in the Temple Mount compound,” Simri said.

“A chase ensued and the three terrorists were killed by police.”

She said three firearms were found on their bodies.

Mobile phone video footage aired by Israeli media showed several policemen chasing a man and shooting him down at the site, which is a popular place for foreign tourists to visit.

Israeli authorities are still working to identify the attackers, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.