AMMAN, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's cabinet on Monday strongly condemned Israel's "serious escalation" of aggression in the Gaza Strip, state-run Petra news agency reported.

The condemnation came as clashes broke out in the coastal enclave between Palestinian protesters and Israeli border security forces, killing at least 52 people and injuring over 2,000 others.

The council said Israel's use of excessive force against the defenseless civilians in Gaza is a stark violation of their legal, humanitarian and political rights.

Also on Monday, the cabinet slammed the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, pledging to continue its efforts to curb the consequences of such a decision.

The protest was held one day before the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba Day, or "Day of Catastrophe." It was marked by the Palestinians as in 1948, hundreds of thousands of the Palestinians were expelled from their homes or fled the violence when Israel was created.