JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces prevented female students from entering the Al-Aqsa compound on Monday, a local group said.

Israeli soldiers set up a temporary checkpoint and stopped female students from entering the Islamic site, without providing a reason, the Al-Aqsa Foundation said.

The students held their class in a nearby area.

"We are witnessing a difficult stage when Muslims are not allowed to pray at Al-Aqsa and settlers are allowed to access it and harm its holiness," Dr. Hikmat Naamna, head of the Al-Aqsa Foundation, said.

The compound, containing the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, is the third holiest site in Islam and abuts the site where Jews believe the ancient Second Temple stood.