FIGHTING raged in north and south Gaza today, with the Israeli Defence Forces saying they are battling Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants “above and below ground” in Gaza City.

The fierce clashes belie Israel’s claim as long ago as January to have defeated and dismantled Hamas in northern Gaza.

The invaders also launched offensives against Palestinians in the Rafah and Shujayea areas of the besieged Gaza Strip, as the UN said workers have begun to move tons of aid that has been piling up on a US-built pier but has begun to spoil, with lorries having been unable to shift it for three weeks because Israel’s relentless bombardments make it too dangerous.

Six people were killed when an Israeli air raid blew up a house in Rafah, while three Hezbollah fighters were killed in strikes on Lebanon, where escalating exchanges of fire risk igniting a second front.

Hopes of a ceasefire are fading, with Hamas saying talks are “dead” — Israel has repeatedly rejected its offers, even those apparently approved by the United States — and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying there is “no substitute for victory. We will not end the war until we achieve all our objectives.”

Israel’s formal objectives include destroying Hamas entirely, a goal its own army commanders have publicly said is impossible.

But analysts told Al Jazeera that Mr Netanyahu believes US President Joe Biden will not risk putting real pressure on him during an election campaign, and counts on a victory for former president Donald Trump in November.

Despite Tel Aviv being rocked by huge protests on Saturday demanding a ceasefire, hostage exchange and fresh elections again, Israel’s far-right coalition remained defiant, boosted by the surprise revelation that the British government is intervening at the International Criminal Court to dispute the court’s jurisdiction over crimes committed in Palestine — delaying the issue of arrest warrants announced for Mr Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the rise in countries recognising a Palestinian state would not deter Israel, which would establish a new illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank each time this happens and flood Palestine with “a million more settlers.”