Amman  - Jordanian police on Friday used batons and teargas to disperse thousands of demonstrators who tried to reach the Israeli embassy to protest the continuing airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

The clash was the first between demonstrators and police in Jordan since the start of the Israeli offensive last Saturday, when the Israeli embassy in Amman was placed under heavy security.

The demonstration which followed a massive rally at the Amman Stadium was one of several authorized protests in Jordan's major cities after Friday prayers for the seventh consecutive day.

Participants chanted slogans and raised placards urging the government to sever ties with Israel and abrogate the peace accord which Jordan concluded with the Jewish state in 1994.

King Abdullah II and the government used unprecedented harsh language in their condemnation of the Israeli offensive which so far killed at least 420 Gazans, including children and women.

Friday prayer leaders across the Kingdom rebuked Arab governments, particularly Egypt, for their failure to come to the aid of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

They also accused the world community of "hypocrisy and pursuing double standards" for its failure to condemn the Israeli attacks and ensure a ceasefire.

Also on Friday, Jordan maintained a bridge with Gaza to send aid materials there and received a first group of wounded Gazans for treatment in Jordan. (dpa)