Gaza – Tuesday's strike on a Gaza hospital which has reportedly killed hundreds of Palestinians has heightened tensions in the region, just as U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Israel today to signal support for its war against Hamas.

According to Palestinian officials, the air strike hit the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital, with the Palestinian Authority's health minister accusing Israel of causing a "massacre." Israel, however, has blamed the blast at the hospital on a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Terrorist group, which has denied any involvement.

Palestinian ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qudra said that rescuers are still extracting bodies from the rubble. Al Jazeera has carried footage depicting a chaotic scene as rescue workers sift through blood-stained debris in search of survivors. A Gaza civil defense chief gives a death toll of 300, while health ministry sources put it at 500.

A senior Hamas official, as reported by NBC News, has conveyed the armed group's willingness to release all civilian hostages, with one key condition: a halt to Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.

The reported condition set by Hamas states that they are ready to release all civilian hostages within just one hour if Israeli forces suspend their military offensives in the Gaza Strip. This development emerges shortly after the air strike at the Gaza City hospital.

President Biden's diplomatic mission to the Middle East is intended to calm the region and support humanitarian efforts for Gaza.

However, after the hospital strike, Jordan has cancelled a planned summit with the U.S. president, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Abbas has also cancelled his plans to meet with Biden, while Palestinian security forces have fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse anti-government protesters in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

Protests have also erupted outside Israel's embassies in Turkey and Jordan and near the U.S. embassy in Lebanon, where security forces have fired tear gas at demonstrators.

Before the hospital strike, health authorities in Gaza claimed that at least 3,000 people had died in Israel's 11-day bombardment, which began after the Hamas assault that caught Israel by surprise.

The Israeli military has urged Gaza City residents to relocate southward, claiming there is a "humanitarian zone" with aid available in Al-Mawasi, 28 km (17 miles) down the coast of the Palestinian enclave.

As President Biden flew to Tel Aviv, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said that the U.S. president would pose "tough questions" to Israeli leaders but did not provide specific details. Biden is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli war cabinet to understand Israel's plans and aims.

Biden's primary goal is to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza, where millions of Palestinians are purportedly surviving with limited access to food, fuel, and water due to Israel's siege.

Diplomatic efforts appear to be complicated, and the risk of escalation has increased due to this horrific event.

Iran, which supports Hamas, has warned Israel of potential escalation if it doesn't cease its alleged aggressions against the Palestinian population. The U.S. State Department has issued travel warnings, advising Americans not to travel to Lebanon due to exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon's south.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his horror at the hundreds of people killed in the hospital strike. Guterres has appealed to Hamas for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages and to Israel to allow immediate unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for Gaza.