A gunman was killed and two were injured in a shootout near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called a "heinous act of terror".

Two policemen were "slightly injured" in the gun fight, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said.

Ciftci said the attackers had come to Istanbul from the city of Izmit by rental car and that two of them were brothers.

In a statement on X, the interior ministry named the gunman killed as Yunus E.S., who it said was "connected to the terrorist organisation that exploits religion".

That is understood to be a reference to the Islamic State group, though no group has said it was behind the attack.

"We will not allow the climate of trust in Turkey to be damaged by such vile and timed provocations as today's," Erdogan said.

Police were initially quoted as saying two attackers had died, but local governor Davut Gul later clarified that only one had been killed.

The two injured attackers were named as Onur Ç and Enes Ç, who the interior ministry said were brothers.

The two police officers injured in the shooting were not in life-threatening condition, the ministry's statement added, with one shot in the leg and the other in the ear.

"Intensive digital communication has been detected among the three neutralised terrorists, and the interrogation of the injured terrorists continues," it said.

Governor Gul told reporters that the attackers had used rifles and pistols in the assault.

He also said that no Israeli diplomatic personnel were in the consulate, which is located in Istanbul's main business district in the Besiktas area.

The gunfight happened in broad daylight. Video on social media appears to capture the moment when one armed attacker was shot by police and fell to the ground.

Reuters news agency quoted a witness at the scene as saying that gunfire sounds had  been "loud" and continued to increase "for 15-20 minutes".

Unverified videos circulating online showed several police vans and a heavy police presence around the building, which was cordoned off for several hours after the attempted attack.

There are no Israeli diplomats stationed in Turkey at the moment and the consulate has been empty for the past two-and-a-half years, amid deteriorating relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv over the war in Gaza.

The justice minister said an investigation into the attack had been launched.