Thousands in Jordan capital gather in solidarity with Gaza

Thousands gathered in the Jordanian capital of Amman on Friday for a demonstration in support of Palestinians amid Israeli air strikes on Gaza in reprisal for a deadly Hamas attack.

More than 10,000 people massed in central Amman near the Grand Husseini Mosque, responding to calls to protest on social media from Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, as well as several leftist and youth groups.

The protest is set to officially begin after Friday prayers, but demonstrators eagerly gathered with Palestinian and Jordanian flags.

They held banners reading "The victory march will continue, solidarity with Palestine" and "Stand with Palestine, Liberated Palestine".

There was a heavy police presence in the area, said AFP journalists at the scene.

Israel is in the midst of a war to "destroy" Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, after the Palestinian Islamists stormed its southern border over the weekend and killed more than 1,200 people.

Israel has since been pounding Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, where 1,537 people have been killed.