A Palestinian poll has found that a majority of Gazans believe that Hamas’ decision to launch the October 7 attack on Israel was incorrect.
Findings Of The Poll
The poll pointed to a big drop in backing for the assault that prompted Israel’s devastating Gaza offensive.
The poll, conducted in early September by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), found that 57% of people surveyed in the Gaza Strip said the decision to launch the offensive was incorrect.
It marked the first time since October 7 that a PSR poll found a majority of Gazan respondents judging the decision as incorrect.
It was accompanied by a drop in support for the attack in the West Bank.
The poll however found that a majority of 64% of respondents there still thought it was the correct decision.
PSR’s previous poll, conducted in June, showed that 57% of respondents in Gaza thought the decision to be correct.
Israeli Military Offensive
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military offensive that has laid waste to the Gaza Strip since last October, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Israel launched its assault after the unprecedented Hamas raid which killed 1,200 people and resulted in another 250 being abducted, according to Israeli tallies.
The Palestinian Center said that it interviewed 1,200 people face-to-face, 790 in the West Bank and 410 in Gaza.
PSR polls since the October 7 attack have consistently shown a majority of respondents in both Gaza and the West Bank to believe the attack was a correct decision.
PSR said the poll released on Tuesday marked the first time since October 7 that its findings had shown simultaneously in the West Bank and Gaza a significant drop in the favorability of the attack and in expectations that Hamas will win the current war.
Overall, the poll found a majority of 54% of respondents in Gaza and the West Bank thought the decision was correct.
In August, the Israeli military accused Hamas of mounting an effort to falsify the results of PSR polls to falsely show support for Hamas and October 7.
No Evidence Of PSR Cooperating With Hamas
The military however said there was no evidence of PSR cooperating with Hamas.
PSR said it had taken the allegation seriously and investigated it.
It said on Tuesday its analysis of the data did not flag any inconsistencies that would arise when data is arbitrarily altered.
PSR said that support for October 7 did not necessarily mean support for Hamas or killings or atrocities against civilians.
Public Perception
It further said that “almost 90% of the public believes Hamas men did not commit the atrocities depicted in videos taken on that day”.
The poll showed a drop in the number of respondents in Gaza who said they support Hamas to 35% from 38%.
But the Islamist movement remained more popular than Fatah, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, in both in Gaza and the West Bank.
(With Inputs From Reuters)
