At least 500 civilians have been killed in an Israeli air strike on al-Ahli Baptist Hospital amid the regime's relentless aggression on the besieged Palestinian enclave, Gaza's Health Ministry says.

"Hundreds of victims are still under the rubble," the ministry added.

The media office of Gaza's Hamas government described the attack as a "war crime".

"The hospital was housing hundreds of sick and wounded, and people forcibly displaced from their homes" because of other strikes, a statement said.

The attack on the al-Ahli Al-Arabi Hospital in Gaza City it would be by far the deadliest Israeli airstrike in five wars fought since 2008.

Iran calls attack on hospital “barbaric” and “genocidal”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani called the attack on the hospital “barbaric” and “genocidal”.

“In continuation of its disgraceful crimes against the Palestinian people, the Zionist regime, by committing this barbaric and horrific crime, once again displayed its savagery nature to the world and proved that it doesn’t show the least commitment to the principles and regulations of international law in times of war,” Kanaani stated.

Iran also declared Wednesday as a national day of mourning in memory of those who lost lives in the air raid on the hospital. 

Jordan cancels summit with Biden, Arab leaders in Amman

Following the horrific attack on the hospital, Jordan has cancelled a summit it was to host in Amman on Wednesday with U.S. President Joe Biden and the Egyptian and Palestinian leaders to discuss the situation in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.

 “There is no use in talking now about anything except stopping the war,” Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said.

Biden was expected to meet the Arab leaders following a solidarity visit to Israel. He left Washington, DC early on Wednesday. What he could accomplish in the wake of the hospital strike is unclear.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also issued a statement denouncing the hospital attack in Gaza.

“I condemn in the strongest of terms Israel’s bombardment,” he said, calling it a “clear violation of international law”.

El-Sisi told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday that Israel’s response to the Hamas attack had gone from self-defence to “collective punishment”.

Putin calls hospital bombing ‘terrible catastrophe’

Russian President Putin has said the bombing of Al Ahli Baptist Hospital was a terrible catastrophe, and showed the fighting between Hamas and Israel should end.

Russian President Putin has said the bombing of Al Ahli Baptist Hospital was a terrible catastrophe, and showed the fighting between Hamas and Israel should end.

PA president calls attack on hospital ‘hideous war massacre’

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said Israel crossed “all red lines” by targeting the hospital, calling the attack a “hideous war massacre” that cannot be tolerated.

Abbas said on Wednesday morning that any talks about anything other than stopping the war was unacceptable.

‘This was a massacre against a hospital’

A plastic surgeon has described his experience of working at al-Ahli Arab Hospital at the time of the attack on Tuesday evening.

“While in between cases, I heard the screech of two missiles and then a loud explosion. The false ceiling in the operating room fell. As I walked towards the side entrance, I saw that the hospital itself was on fire and that it was directly hit,” Ghassan Abu Sitta wrote on Facebook.

“The wounded started stumbling towards us. I then ran to the emergency room where there were hundreds of very severely wounded and dead. I put a tourniquet on the thigh of a man who had his leg blown off and then went to tend to a man with a penetrating neck injury. When the ambulance came I took him with the paramedics to Shifa Hospital.

“I am unharmed but this was a massacre against a hospital.”

Protests target US and French embassies in Beirut

People have taken to the streets denouncing “crimes against humanity” whether in Beirut or across the country. There is anger as news spread of the Gaza hospital attack and high death toll.

This is a country that is technically at war with Israel. People here are blaming those who support Israel – the United States, as well as other Western nations. They believe because of the unconditional support it allows Israel to disregard international law.

We’re getting reports of people trying to make their way to the U.S. embassy to protest but the Lebanese army and security forces have closed all roads. Protesters are demonstrating outside the French embassy and ambassador’s residence. Hezbollah is calling for a major protest on Wednesday in Beirut’s southern suburbs – “a day of anger”.

As for Hezbollah-Israel fighting, there’s been a gradual escalation over the past week. Today, there was an exchange of heavy fire. Many fear it can widen. But this is no longer Hezbollah versus Israel, this is the people versus Israel.

‘It’s not acceptable to hit a hospital,’ Canada’s Trudeau says

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned the bombing of al-Ahli Arab Hospital in brief comments to reporters.

“The news coming out of Gaza is horrific and absolutely unacceptable. International humanitarian and international law needs to be respected in this and in all cases,” Trudeau said in Ottawa.

“There are rules around wars and it’s not acceptable to hit a hospital.”

Saudi Arabia condemns Gaza hospital attack by Israel as ‘heinous crime’

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the “heinous crime” committed by Israeli forces by bombing the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, the kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Separately, Jordan’s King Abdullah said the attack – which has killed hundreds – was a “massacre” and a “war crime” that one cannot be silent about.

In a royal court statement, the monarch said Israel should immediately end its war against the enclave and described Israeli actions against innocent Palestinians as a “shame on humanity”.

Russia, UAE request urgent meeting of UN Security Council

Russia and the United Arab Emirates have requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council after the Gaza hospital attack.

“Russia and the UAE have requested an urgent open meeting of the UN Security Council for the morning of October 18 over the Gaza hospital strike,” Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy says.

An Israeli air strike on Tuesday killed about 500 Palestinians at a Gaza City hospital crammed with patients and displaced people, health authorities in the besieged enclave say.

WHO: Gaza hospital attacked was full of patients, health workers, IDPs

The WHO has demanded the immediate protection of civilians and healthcare workers in the Gaza Strip after the attack on al-Ahli Arab Hospital.

“The hospital was operational, with patients, health- and care-givers, and internally-displaced people sheltering there. Early reports indicate hundreds of fatalities and injuries,” the UN health agency said in a statement.

Protests denouncing Israel across West Asia and North Africa

Spontaneous protests have emerged in a number of major cities across the Middle East and North Africa as well as elsewhere, some devolving into confrontations with local security forces.

In the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, Palestinians angrily denounced Israel for the hospital attack and then turned their ire to the Palestinian Authority itself, before security forces turned on the protesters.

In Amman, where Jordan had been planning to host a summit with Biden, el-Sisi and Abbas on Wednesday before it was cancelled, protesters also gathered outside the Israeli embassy compound, with some breaching one of the security barriers before being dispersed.

Hundreds gathered outside the French embassy in Tunis, chanting anti-French and anti-U.S. slogans.

Egyptian opposition parties led protests in front of the U.S. embassy in Cairo, while others took place in neighboring Giza.

And in Istanbul, Turkey’s biggest city, protesters gathered outside the Israeli consulate before police dispersed the crowd.

Protests reported near NATO base in Turkey’s Malatya

We are getting reports of angry protesters massing near a NATO facility in Turkey’s Malatya province, where U.S. servicemen are also believed to be stationed.

Al Jazeera Arabic reported that the demonstrators gathered outside Kurecik Radar Station to denounce Israel’s deadly air strike on the Gaza hospital.

A video clip posted by Al Jazeera Arabic on X showed demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and shouting pro-Palestinian slogans as Turkish police stood behind guardrails to protect the NATO facility.

Heavy Israeli bombardment continues in Gaza despite last night tragedy

There are heavy bombardments still going on across the Gaza Strip despite what happened on Tuesday night.

Last night’s attack on the hospital, which left at least 500 people dead, has not stopped Israel from continuing its bombardment of the enclave.

A short while ago, a residential building in Khan Younis was targeted. It was completely destroyed with seven people pronounced dead on the scene. Forty others were seriously injured.

Most of those that were killed were evacuees from different parts of Gaza.