Backing for Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel has dropped significantly in Gaza during the last six months, a poll of Palestinians in the enclave shows, as conditions deteriorate after almost a year of war.
In March, 71% of Palestinians in Gaza who responded to
the poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research said they believed that Hamas’ decision to launch the October 7 attack was correct. When the poll was conducted this month, that number stood at just 39%.
The poll, which has been conducted every three months since September last year, surveyed 410 people across Gaza, in 41 locations
, a smaller sample size than when the poll was carried out in March.
The researchers also spoke with 790 people in the West Bank. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.5%.
Conducting a poll during wartime is of course incredibly difficult – as acknowledged by the pollster. The center said the interviews were conducted in areas where there was no on-going daily fighting