Palestinian children injured in an Israeli airstrike await treatment at the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern of Gaza Strip, on October 17, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

At least 500 civilians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on al-Ahli Baptist Hospital amid the regime’s relentless aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry in the enclave says.

On Tuesday, the health ministry said Israeli airstrikes on the central Gaza hospital compound killed hundreds of people, mainly women and children.

Hundreds of victims are still under the rubble, it added.

Thousands of civilians were seeking medical treatment and shelter in the hospital from relentless Israeli airstrikes.

🔺 Disturbing scenes following the deadly Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza #GazaGenocide#Gaza #Palestine #FreePalestine #FreeGaza #islam #Israel #IsraeliNewNazism #IsraelTerorrist pic.twitter.com/PNcO4wsphi

— Ansarpress (@ansarpress1) October 18, 2023

The attack is the deadliest Israeli airstrike in five wars fought since 2008, the Palestinian Civil Defense said.

The massacre at al-Ahli Arab Hospital is unprecedented in our history. While we’ve witnessed tragedies in past wars and days, but what took place tonight is tantamount to genocide, spokesman Mahmoud Basal said.

The media office of Hamas 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 Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) condemned the Israeli attack as genocide.

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning following the Israeli air strike.

Photos from al-Ahli Hospital showed fire engulfing the hospital halls, shattered glass and body parts scattered across the area.

This comes as the humanitarian situation is getting worse by the hour in Gaza, with hospitals facing a collapse.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning of an imminent catastrophe in the territory.

The WHO’s director-general strongly condemned the deadly strike on al-Ahli Hospital.

In a post on social media platform X, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for the immediate protection of civilians and for the Israeli regime’s evacuation orders to be reversed.

Early reports indicate hundreds of deaths and injuries, said Tedros.

We call for the immediate protection of civilians and health care, and for the evacuation orders to be reversed.

Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan condemned the Israeli airstrike on al-Ahli al-Arab Hospital.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kan’ani censured the attack as a brutal act of war crime and genocide.

The Zionist regime... by committing this heinous and atrocious crime, once again revealed its savagery and inhumanity to the world and proved that it has no slightest adherence to the principles and rules of international law during times of war, he said.

Several hospitals in Gaza City have become refuges for Palestinians hoping to be spared Israeli bombardments, which began on October 7.