Israeli police have blocked Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday mass "for the first time in centuries", church authorities in Jerusalem said.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Rev Francesco Ielpo were stopped outside the holy site on the first day of the most important period in the Christian calendar, their office said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said worshippers "from all faiths" had been asked not to attend sites in Jerusalem's Old City for safety reasons after recent Iranian attacks.

But the move has drawn strong international criticism, including from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who said it was an "unfortunate overreach" that was "difficult to understand or justify".

Church authorities said in a statement that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Rev Francesco Ielpo had been "compelled" to turn back from the church - the holiest site in Christianity - on Sunday.

The church is believed by Christians to be built on the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

"This incident is a grave precedent and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world, who during this week, look to Jerusalem," a statement from the patriarchate said.

"This hasty and fundamentally flawed decision, tainted by improper considerations, represents an extreme departure from basic principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for the status quo."

The patriarchate said it had followed all "imposed restrictions" and acted responsibly since the war began, adding that Sunday's decision was "a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure".

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the move was "an offence not only against believers but against every community that recognises religious freedom", while Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he had summoned Israel's ambassador to Italy for an explanation.

French President Emmanuel Macron likewise condemned the move and said it came in the context of "the worrying increase in violations of the status of the Holy Places in Jerusalem".

"Freedom to hold religious rites in Jerusalem must be ensured for all religions," he said in a statement on X.

Netanyahu said police had acted out of "special" safety concerns and that a plan was being drawn up to allow church leaders to worship at the site in the coming days.

The traditional Palm Sunday procession into the city had already been cancelled amid restrictions on public gatherings.

Israeli police said all holy sites in the Old City had been closed to worshippers since the US-Israel war against Iran began on 28 February for security reasons, and that it had rejected the patriarchate's request for a Palm Sunday exemption.

Netanyahu said holy sites belonging to Christian, Jewish and Muslim worshippers and been "repeatedly targeted" by Iranian missile strikes in recent days.

"In one strike, missile fragments crashed meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," he said in a statement shared on X, adding that Sunday's decision involved "no malicious intent whatsoever".

"As a result, Israel has temporarily asked worshippers from all faiths not to worship at the holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City to protect them."