GAZA - A blast ripped through a Gaza hospital killing hundreds of people late Tuesday, sparking global condemnation and violent protests in several Muslim nations.
Israel and Palestinians traded blame for the incident, which an "outraged and deeply saddened" US President Joe Biden denounced while en route to the Middle East.
Health authorities in Gaza said the explosion at the Ahli Arab Hospital killed between 200 and 300 people and was caused by the latest in a wave of Israeli airstrikes. Hamas said in a statement 500 had died.
Israeli Defense Forces blamed Palestinian militants, saying an outgoing Islamic Jihad rocket misfired.
Neither account could be independently corroborated.
With thousands of people killed in conflict and the situation worsening, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Wednesday for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire".
On the ground in Gaza, there were scenes of chaos as the injured and dead were taken to nearby medical centres.
There, scores of bodies cloaked in blood-stained sheets and white plastic wrap lined the floors. Stunned relatives tried to identify loved ones.
"We were operating in the hospital. There was a strong explosion and the ceiling fell on the operating room," said Ghassan Abu Sittah, a doctor with the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
"Hospitals are not a target," he said. "This bloodshed must stop. Enough is enough."
For 11 days, Israel has launched withering strikes on Hamas-controlled Gaza -- retaliation for the killing of 1,400 Israelis who were shot, mutilated and burned in October 7 cross-border raids.
Even amid the uncertainty over what caused the incident at the Christian-run hospital, there was rapid and widespread international condemnation.
"The responsibility for this crime must be clearly established & the perpetrators held accountable" said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.