Israeli security forces tripled their usual numbers around Jerusalem’s Old City this morning as the city braced for possible riots during Muslim prayers at the Holy Land’s most contentious religious site.

Palestinian protesters threw stones at Israeli police guarding a disputed holy site today, slightly wounding seven officers, including Jerusalem’s police chief, authorities said.

A female Palestinian suicide bomber killed two Israelis and wounded at least 16 others today when she blew herself up at a crowded crossroads in Jerusalem.

The death toll in the suicide bombing in Jerusalem has risen to 13 - including six children.

Several of the wounded in the Jerusalem blast earlier today were children, it has emerged.