Jordanians protest near Israel embassy in Amman after Al-Aqsa raid

Jordanians protested near Israel's embassy in Amman on Wednesday evening after Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

The demonstration took place in front of Al-Kalouti Mosque in the west of the Jordanian capital, The New Arab's Arabic sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

Protesters urged their government - as custodian of Al-Aqsa, the third-holiest site in Islam - to expel Israel's ambassador from Amman and cancel all treaties signed with it.

Israel and Jordan agreed to the Wadi Araba peace treaty in 1994, ending hostilities and implementing diplomatic relations between the two countries, although the agreement remains unpopular in Jordan,

Israeli forces raided the compound twice on Wednesday, including in the evening after taraweeh - special prayers that take place during the sacred fasting month of Ramadan. It was not clear whether the Jordan demonstration took place before or after the second attack on the site.

Protesters in Amman affirmed the Jordanian people's support for Palestinians living in Jerusalem and the people defending Al-Aqsa, urging Arab, Muslim and international support and protection.

Murad Al-Adaileh, the secretary-general of the Islamic Action Front political party, called for the Islamic ummah, or community of believers, to act in support of the mosque.

He also urged the Jordanian government to adopt a political stance expressing its people's position, rejecting normalisation and cooperation with Israel.

Jordan's foreign ministry has slammed the Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa.

A vigil was also organised in Irbid, a city in northern Jordan, in front of a mosque there.

When Israeli forces raided Al-Aqsa after taraweeh prayers, they attacked worshippers with sound bombs and rubber bullets before expelling them, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

Witnesses said a number of Palestinians were injured and had to be taken for treatment by ambulance.

In the earlier attack on Wednesday, hundreds of Palestinians were detained and injured.

Since the beginning of Ramadan, Israeli troops have tried to stop Palestinian worshippers from spending nights inside Al-Aqsa in a religious practice known as itikaaf.

The escalation at the site raises concern of a repeat of May 2021, when Israel conducted an 11-day bombing campaign against the besieged Gaza Strip that killed more than 250 Palestinians.