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U.S. President Joe Biden, who arrived in Tel Aviv Monday, appeared to side with Israel on who was responsible for a massive explosion at a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds and prompted accusations of blame and protests across the region.

"Based on the information we've seen to date; it appears as a result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group in Gaza," Biden said in his remarks.

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Israel, blamed by officials in Gaza for the Tuesday explosion, has denied being at fault and said an errant rocket fired by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad hit the hospital site. Islamic Jihad has denied responsibility.

"While we continue to collect information, our current assessment, based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open-source information, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday," White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

Biden's Israel visit is aimed at showing support for Israel after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that killed more than 1,400 people. Israel has since declared war on Hamas and subjected Gaza to intense bombardment, killing some 3,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

In his remarks, Biden said Israel has agreed that humanitarian assistance can begin to move from Egypt into Gaza and announced $100 million U.S. aid for Palestinians. He vowed to provide Israel what it needs to defend itself but urged restraint in its retaliation.

"You don't live by the rules of terrorist. You live by the rule of law. When conflict is fair, you live by the rule of law of wars," he said.

Referring to the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the U.S., Biden said that while the country, "saw justice and got justice, we also made mistakes."

"I know the choices are never clear or easy for the leadership. There's always cost," Biden said. "But it requires being deliberate; [it] requires asking very hard questions and requires clarity about the objectives and an honest assessment about whether the path you're on will achieve those objectives."

From Tel Aviv, Biden was originally scheduled to head to Amman to meet King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss a humanitarian response for Gazans. But the summit - and the Jordan leg of the trip - was scrapped following the Gaza hospital blast.

Hamas claims 'crime of genocide'

Hamas militants blamed Israel for the explosion at Gaza City's Ahli Arab Hospital, calling it "a crime of genocide that once again reveals the ugly face of this criminal enemy and its fascist and terrorist government."

It said in a statement that there were "hundreds of casualties, most of them displaced families, patients, children and women." Palestinian authorities said about 500 people had been killed.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israel Defense Forces spokesman, told reporters Wednesday there was no structural damage to buildings, nor a crater, that would be consistent with an Israeli airstrike. He also accused Hamas of inflating the number of casualties.

Speaking alongside Biden at a meeting of Israel's war cabinet Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the world was rightfully outraged by the strike on the hospital, "but this outrage should be directed not at Israel, but at the terrorists."

The explosion has ignited massive protests in cities across the Middle East, including in Lebanon, Iran, Tunisia and Turkey, where demonstrators laid the blame on Israel.

The U.S. leader pledged to ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself.

Summit cancelled

Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour said Tuesday, "Our Jordanian brothers said we cannot have a summit with these conditions. ... Only [one] thing would make sense - if [Biden would] make a cease-fire and say, 'I'm coming to force implementation of it.'"

The White House released a statement at roughly the time of Biden's departure from Washington.

"After consulting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and in light of the days of mourning announced by President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, President Biden will postpone his travel to Jordan and the planned meeting with these two leaders and President Sisi of Egypt," the statement said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire to allow for Hamas to release the hostages it is holding and for Israel to allow unrestricted humanitarian aid to reach Gaza.

European Council President Charles Michel said Tuesday that what Israel has done in cutting access to basic services such as water, food and electricity "is not in line with the international law."

Israel in recent days has ordered Palestinian civilians living in the northern half of Gaza to head to the southern reaches of the territory along the Mediterranean Sea. About 600,000 people in cars and on foot have heeded the Israeli demand.

But Israeli forces have continued to launch airstrikes into southern Gaza, including on Tuesday morning, along with attacks on Hamas targets in the north.

The humanitarian crisis has grown increasingly dire in Gaza, where Israel has blocked basic necessities from arriving. There is limited electricity and diminishing supplies of food and water, while hospitals say they are hard-pressed to treat the wounded.

Margaret Besheer at the United Nations contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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