US President Joe Biden on Wednesday denounced Hamas for its attacks on Israel and reiterated support for the country's fight against the Palestinian Islamist group.

In a speech in Tel Aviv following talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the president said, "We're going to make sure that you have what you need to protect your people, to defend your nation."

Biden noted the US has for decades ensured Israel's "qualitative military edge" and said he will ask Congress this week for an "unprecedented support package" for Israel's defense.

Biden said the Israeli side had agreed to allow international humanitarian aid to move from Egypt to the Gaza Strip.

He pledged 100 million dollars of new US funding for humanitarian assistance in Gaza and the West Bank, saying the money will support "more than 1 million displaced and conflict-affected Palestinians, including emergency needs in Gaza."

After the meeting, Biden had planned to travel to Jordan to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Arab leaders to discuss the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. But the trip was canceled shortly after a deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza.

At least 500 people are reported to have been killed, triggering protests have erupted across the region.

It is being described as one of the deadliest single incidents in Gaza since the fighting started.

Hamas blames an Israeli airstrike, while Israel's military blames Islamic Jihad, a different Palestinian militant group.

The Israel Defense Forces shared a video on social media that purportedly shows a rocket misfiring at the same time as the blast. They also released a voice recording they say captures militants talking about the misfire.

Biden told Netanyahu he supports Israel's claim that the country was not involved in the explosion.