A poll published today, Tuesday, shows that "only 15 percent of Israelis want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remain in office" following the war against the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). However, "many still support his strategy to crush the militants in the Palestinian enclave." According to the poll conducted by the Israeli Democracy Institute, "56 percent of participants said that the continuation of the military attack is the best way to secure the release of hostages, while 24 percent believe it is better to reach a swap deal that includes the release of thousands of other Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails."
Health officials in Gaza reported that "the war has claimed the lives of more than 22,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the enclave's residents." Israel claims to have "killed about eight thousand Palestinian militants and has vowed to pursue Hamas leaders."
The poll indicated that "only 15 percent want Netanyahu to remain Prime Minister after the war." His political rival and current partner in the war cabinet, Benny Gantz from the centrist party, received support from 23 percent of the participants in the poll, while 30 percent did not identify a preferred leader.
The institute stated: "The poll was conducted with 746 participants from December 25 to 28, with a confidence level of 95 percent." A previous survey conducted by the institute in December found that "69 percent of Israelis believe elections should be held as soon as the war is over."
Netanyahu has vowed to crush "Hamas" following its attack on October 7 in southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages to Gaza. Israeli forces have destroyed a significant part of the Gaza Strip in their ongoing offensive for nearly three months.
