Prime Minister Anwar has strongly denounced the bombing of a hospital in Gaza while also criticizing what he perceives as hypocrisy from Western nations amid the ongoing turmoil, which he describes as "madness."

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 18 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has today joined the worldwide condemnation of the bombing of a hospital in Gaza which killed 500 Palestinians, said to be from an Israeli air strike.

Anwar reiterated the need to end the Israel-Hamas war, highlighting that women and children will bear the brunt of the violence.

“That's why we say it's best to stop it. It's time for us to calm down the situation and stop. If this continues the victims are women and children. This has reached the level of madness and humanity has been lost.

“And the most regrettable is the Western country that talks about human rights,” he said after officiating the Path Towards Greater Prosperity for Malaysia' Symposium at Putrajaya International Convention Centre here.

“This seems to have a category, there are first-class people, there are servants and this is what we object to as hard as possible. But now there is. I don't care about the various accusations. The root is, stop it,” he added.

Anwar also said he would meet Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al-Saud to discuss the Palestine-Israel conflict.

"After the Asean and Gulf Cooperation Council, in Riyadh tomorrow, Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman asked me to see him for a day to discuss.

"I will think whether there is a need to discuss with some leaders whether I should tour several states or just by phone calls," he said.

Reuters reported that the blast was the bloodiest single incident in Gaza since Israel launched a bombing campaign to retaliate for an October 7 Hamas assault on southern Israeli communities that killed 1,300 people. The strip is a 45km-long enclave and home to 2.3 million people.

The Palestinian Authority health minister, Mai Alkaila, accused Israel of a massacre. A Gaza civil defence chief said 300 people were killed and a health ministry official said 500 were killed.

The United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk called the hospital strike totally unacceptable, insisting that the perpetrators must be held to account, while the European Union chief Charles Michel also said that targeting civilian infrastructure in Gaza breaks international law.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation condemned the deadly strike and demanded the immediate protection of civilians and health care in the strip.