Overnight bombardment kills at least 11 in Gaza

The EU leader is visiting the island nation to check facilities at the port of Larnaca, where a stream of aid ships plan to leave for Gaza.

While it has not yet been announced when the maritime deliveries will begin, “it’s believed it could happen as early as Sunday”, reports the Reuters news agency.

The UN has insisted that deliveries by sea are no replacement for land shipments, which can bring in far more aid more quickly to people in Gaza who are at growing risk of starvation.

• Death toll increases to 30,878 in Gaza: Ministry

  The Health Ministry in Gaza says that 78 people have been killed in eight Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the last 24 hours, increasing the total number of deaths in the enclave since October 7 to 30,878.

  The statement on Telegram added that 104 people had been injured by the Israeli army over the past day, raising the total number wounded to 72,402.

  “A number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, as the occupation prevents ambulance and civil defence crews from reaching them,” the ministry added.

  Troops ‘fired precisely’ on suspects in aid convoy incident: Israeli army

  The Israeli military says that a review of the February 29 tragedy at a humanitarian aid convoy, which left more than 100 Palestinians dead, found that troops “fired precisely” towards suspects who approached them.

  “The command review found that IDF (army) troops did not fire at the humanitarian convoy, but did fire at a number of suspects who approached the nearby forces and posed a threat to them,” it said of the incident late last month.

  Last week, announcing the initial findings of the probe, the military denied it was responsible for the killings of aid-seeking Palestinians, saying deaths predominantly happened in a stampede.

  The announcement of the findings purported that while the trucks were travelling towards the distribution centres, a crowd of about 12,000 people gathered around them and looted the equipment they were transporting.

  As the looting was going on, dozens of Palestinians also advanced towards the Israeli troops, posing a threat to them as they stood by, before they conducted cautionary fire for deterrence, the probe findings claim.

  However, the UN team that investigated the scene of the incident, witnesses, medics and rights monitors, say evidence points to heavy shooting by the Israeli forces.

  Biden’s announcement of Gaza pier for aid delivery is ‘propaganda point’

  In his comments to Al Jazeera, Marc Owen Jones, of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, said Biden’s announcement of a US-supported pier to bring aid into Gaza through a maritime corridor is simply “propaganda”, a way for him to assure disgruntled members of his own party that he “cares about Gaza”.

  In reality, “the most efficient way to get aid into Gaza is through the Rafah border crossing, which Israeli officials have consistently hindered,” said Owen Jones.

  Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations’ senior coordinator for humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Gaza, made the same point about Gaza aid on Thursday, saying the enclave needs more land crossings, which Israel has shown “little willingness” to open.

  Bringing in aid by land is “easier, faster, and cheaper” than by sea, Kaag said, “particularly if we know that we need to sustain humanitarian assistance to Gazans for a long period of time”.