A dip in support has occurred for Israel’s plan to initiate the next stage of the counter-offensive against Hamas militants as the results of latest poll wanted Israel to hold off on any invasion of Gaza.
Israel has maintained a stance to eliminate Hamas in response to the attacks and kidnapping they carried in Israeli southern communities on October 7 2023. The forces stepped up tank and infantry raids in concert with heavy shelling.
However, when a poll by Maariv newspaper asked if the Israeli military should immediately escalate to a large-scale ground offensive, 49 per cent believed that Israel should refrain and wait. Only 29 per cent of Israelis responded positively to the question. Meanwhile, 22 per cent remained neutral.
The same publication carried a similar poll on October 19 that showed a 65 per cent positive response for a major ground attack and invasion of Gaza.
Maarive wrote that there is no division in accordance with political camp or demographics. It added that certainly the developments regarding hostages, which are now topping the agenda, have had an impact on change of opinion.
Last week, Hamas freed four hostages as regional mediator countries want to arrange a larger-scale release. A released hostage recalled that she had been held in an underground Hamas tunnel and bunker complex along with at least two dozen others. Hamas claimed that Israeli strikes on Gaza killed around 50 hostages.