A large majority of Israelis support a hostage deal with Hamas that would end the war in Gaza, and a slim majority say there hasn’t yet been a hostage deal due primarily to political reasons, according to a new poll aired Friday on Channel 12.
Asked whether it was more important to strike a hostage deal or to continue the war in Gaza, 69 percent of respondents answered that a hostage deal was more important, compared to just 20% who said it was more important to continue the war, and 11% who said they didn’t know.
Even among Likud voters, a plurality said they support a war-ending hostage deal, with 46% in favor compared to 36% who prefer continuing the war. Another 18% said they were unsure.
The poll also asked respondents why they thought a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages had not been struck thus far, some thirteen months after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, when 251 people were taken hostage and some 1,200 killed, and a year after the first deal with Hamas, which saw the release of 101 civilian captives.
Fifty-two percent of respondents answered that a deal had not yet been reached for political reasons. Only 36% said a deal had not been reached for substantive reasons, and 12% said they didn’t know.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was recorded late last month telling Likud lawmakers that Israel could not accept Hamas’s demand to end the war in exchange for the hostages, ostensibly over concerns that a deal would allow Hamas to remain in Gaza in some form.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a plenum session at the Knesset, Jerusalem, November 12, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
However, Netanyahu is also believed to be wary of reaching a deal amid opposition from his far-right political partners who could leave his government and see him lose power.
The survey also asked Israelis who they thought was suited to lead the country, comparing Netanyahu to other potential contenders for the premiership.
Respondents preferred former prime minister Naftali Bennett over Netanyahu, with 37% picking Bennett, compared to 35% who picked Netanyahu, 25% saying neither of them was fit for the job, and 3% saying they didn’t know.
Netanyahu won more support than either National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz or Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, but still only a minority of actual support.
Asked who was more suited to be prime minister, Netanyahu or Gantz, 37% picked Netanyahu, while 30% picked Gantz, and 30% picked neither of them, with 3% saying they didn’t know.
Between Netanyahu and Lapid, 38% picked Netanyahu, while only 27% picked Lapid. Thirty-two percent picked neither, and 3% said they didn’t know.
The results of the poll were published amid a slew of unconfirmed reports that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara may seek to sideline Netanyahu as he testifies in his ongoing corruption trial next month, arguing that he would be unable to serve as premier and testify at the same time.
On Thursday, heads of all the coalition parties — and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, representing Netanyahu’s Likud — issued a joint statement denouncing as a “coup” any such effort, which the attorney general has never publicly suggested.
Asked whether they thought Netanyahu could serve as prime minister and manage his criminal case at the same time, one half of respondents said he could not, while 42% said he could, and 8% said they didn’t know.
Earlier this week the Jerusalem District Court rejected Netanyahu’s request for a 10-week delay to the start of his testimony in his criminal trial, saying that he has already had five months to prepare.
Netanyahu’s defense team requested the delay because it said the prime minister has been unable to prepare for giving testimony, set to begin on December 2, due to the time pressures of managing the current, multi-front conflict.
