The UN Security Council will meet Thursday to discuss the controversial visit to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound by Itamar Ben Gvir that has enraged Palestinians.

The 15-member Council will convene at 3:00 pm (2000 GMT) at the United Nations headquarters in New York following a request by the United Arab Emirates and China.

There have been fears Tuesday's visit by Israeli Occupation's new National Security Minister, firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir, could spark a war.

Al-Aqsa Mosque lies in occupied east Jerusalem and is the third-holiest site in Islam. 

Under a longstanding status quo, non-Muslims can visit the site at specific times but are not allowed to pray there.

In recent years, a growing number of Jews, most of them extremist settlers, have covertly prayed at the compound, a development decried by Palestinians.

Western governments warned such moves threaten the fragile arrangement at Jerusalem's holy sites.

Ben-Gvir's visit sparked a wave of international condemnation, including from the United States, a longstanding ally of Israeli Occupation.

Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres, reiterated Wednesday that the Secretary-General "calls on all to refrain from steps that could escalate tensions in and around Jerusalem."