Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has mirrored claims by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli authorities that Palestinian militants themselves were responsible for a deadly blast at a Gazan hospital that has reportedly killed hundreds of people.

In a statement, Netanyahu said: "It was barbaric terrorists in Gaza that attacked the hospital in Gaza, and not the IDF."

Earlier, speaking at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Israeli Prime Minister described Hamas as "the new Nazis" and compared them to the so-called Islamic State terror network.

Meanwhile, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh has blamed the United States, claiming that Washington has given Israel "cover for its aggression."