MOSCOW, October 18. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Tuesday’s massive blast at a hospital in Gaza as a criminal act.

"Naturally, we view such a <…> deadly attack as a crime," Zakharova told Sputnik radio.

She pushed for evidence of Israel’s non-involvement with the Gaza hospital attack. "[Israel] must not just comment in media outlets or on social media, it must produce the evidence," she added.

Zakharova also called on the United States to provide satellite images that would help clarify the situation and identify the perpetrator of the deadly attack.

Arab media reported earlier that the Israeli Air Force conducted several powerful strikes on central districts of Gaza City on Tuesday, with some rockets hitting the Al Ahli hospital there. The Palestinian group Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip said more than 500 people were killed in the attack, with hundreds of others being injured. According to Arab TV channels, there have been at least 800 casualties. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pinned the blame on Islamic Jihad which, in turn, dismissed the claims.

Tensions in the Middle East flared up again after Hamas militants infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7. The Palestinian movement described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel announced a total blockade of Gaza and started carrying out strikes on the Palestinian enclave, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place on the West Bank.