Shouting "Elections now!" and "Bring back the hostages now!", thousands of Israeli demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv Saturday to demand the departure of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after five months of war in Gaza.

With t-shirts and banners featuring the names and pictures of hostages seized during Hamas's October 7 attack, the crowd demanded swift action to rescue the remaining captives.

The attack on southern Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.

Jorge Martin got the first points on the board in the new MotoGP season, winning Saturday's sprint in Qatar with defending double world champion Francesco Bagnaia in fourth.

Pole-sitter Martin, narrowly beaten by Bagnaia for the title last year, led from the flag under lights at the Lusail International circuit.

The Spanish rider was followed across the line by South African Brad Binder (KTM) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia).

But Martin revealed afterwards that it had not been all plain sailing on his Ducati-Pramac bike.

After Yegebal Ayalew immigrated with her son from Ethiopia to Israel in 2012, she watched him thrive in their new home only to lose him in Hamas's October 7 attack.

Now, as she mourns the slain 21-year-old soldier she tearfully described as "respectful to all", she has just one wish for Israeli authorities: that they facilitate the relocation of relatives left behind in Ethiopia so her family can be together again.

The United States and its allies said they shot down 28 drones fired by Yemen's Huthis at targets in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on Saturday, in one of the Iran-backed rebels' largest attacks.

Shortly afterward, the rebels said they had fired missiles at an "American" commercial ship and launched drones at US warships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Tunisians are bracing themselves for more subdued celebrations during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as an economic crisis grips the North African country.

In past years "you wouldn't have been able to set foot in the market because it was so crowded", vegetable merchant Mohamed Doryi told AFP.

"That's not the case today," said the 69-year-old, who no longer displays his prices to avoid scaring away potential customers.

With Gaza's humanitarian crisis growing more dire and his left flank in uproar, President Joe Biden is increasingly showing impatience with Israel's leader and making clear the United States will act on its own -- but few expect a dramatic break.

In his State of the Union address Thursday, Biden announced that the United States would build a temporary pier to bring aid into Gaza, days after the US military started airdropping food and top US officials received a key rival to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A boat laden with food for Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza was "ready" to set sail from Cyprus, an NGO said Saturday, as fighting raged between Israeli troops and Hamas militants ahead of Ramadan.

The sea route aims to counter aid access restrictions, which humanitarians and foreign governments have blamed on Israel, more than five months into the war which has left Gaza's 2.4 million people struggling to survive.

US President Joe Biden said Friday that Benjamin Netanyahu must allow more aid into Gaza, after he was caught on a hot mic saying he would confront the Israeli premier over the conflict.

Biden was overheard saying after his State of the Union speech on Thursday that he'd told Netanyahu they would have a "come to Jesus" meeting, reflecting growing frustration with Israel.

"Yes he does," Biden told reporters when asked, in the wake of the recorded comments, if Netanyahu needed to do more to let in relief to the Palestinian territory amid UN warnings of looming famine.

The US plan to establish a temporary port for aid deliveries to Gaza will take up to 60 days to carry out and will likely involve more than 1,000 American personnel, the Pentagon said Friday.

US President Joe Biden announced the plan the previous night during his State of the Union address, in which he pleaded with Israel to let more assistance into the blockaded territory even as he defended its military operation against Hamas.

The sinking of a bulk carrier carrying thousands of tonnes of fertiliser off Yemen after a Huthi missile attack poses "no immediate danger", an expert said Friday.

The Belize-flagged, Lebanese-operated Rubymar sank in the Red Sea on March 2 with 21,000 metric tonnes of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertiliser on board, according to US Central Command.

It had been taking in water since Yemen's Huthi rebels hit it in a missile strike on February 18, damaging its hull and causing an oil slick from leaking fuel.