Dozens of Palestinians have thrown fire bombs at a West Bank site revered by some Jews as the tomb of biblical patriarch Joseph.

Palestinian security forces extinguished the blaze early today. Footage on local media shows flames leaping from the small stone structure in the West Bank city of Nablus.

The tomb has become a popular prayer site in recent years among some religious Jews.

The arson comes at a time of heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.

Over the past month, eight Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them stabbings. In that time, 31 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 14 labelled by Israel as attackers, and the rest in clashes with Israeli troops.