WASHINGTON 

UNICEF "strongly" condemned an Israeli strike on a hospital Tuesday in the illegally blockaded Gaza Strip that killed more than 500 people.

"UNICEF strongly condemns the strike on the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza w/ hundreds of civilians reported killed & injured," Executive Director Catherine Russell wrote on X.

"We call for the protection of all civilians, incl children, & the infrastructure they rely on. We need an immediate ceasefire & humanitarian access," she added.

More than 500 people were killed in the Israeli airstrike Tuesday night, Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told Anadolu.

Footage showed bodies scattered across the hospital grounds.

The airstrike came on day 11 in the conflict, with a growing international chorus of non-governmental groups and world leaders saying the Israeli bombing campaign on the besieged enclave -- including health care facilities, homes and houses of worship -- violates international law and may constitute a war crime.