Violence broke out in and around Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque Thursday, with Israeli police using tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades to dispel stone-throwing demonstrators who had entered the compound, according to NBC News.

Israeli officials promised to respond "harshly" to the unrest. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered more police to Jerusalem and the entrances to the mosque were shuttered.

The clampdown came just hours after Israel removed new security measures and Palestinian leaders called the faithful to return to Al-Aqsa to pray in a bid to dampen the violence of the last 10 days.

A huge backlash erupted after Israel placed metal detectors at the entrances to the mosque's precincts in the wake of Palestinian gunmen shooting dead two Israeli police officers in Jerusalem's Old City on July 14. Clashes, stabbings and a diplomatic standoff between Arab and Israeli leaders followed, with three other Israelis and four Palestinians dying in the violence.

With unrest continuing to boil over, NBC News spoke to experts and local residents about the significance of the holy site known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.

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