Support for Hamas has increased among Palestinians, according to an opinion poll in Gaza and the West Bank during the war in Gaza. And almost 90 percent want Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmud Abbas to resign.
The survey was conducted between November 22 and December 2, via interviews with roughly 1,200 people in Gaza and the West Bank. During the week-long temporary ceasefire in Gaza, around 480 direct interviews were held, among other things, according to the opinion institute PSR.
The poll’s results raise questions about Israel’s efforts to annihilate Hamas – a line set up as one of the main goals of the war.
Despite the destruction in Gaza, 57 percent of respondents in Gaza and 82 percent in the West Bank believe that Hamas was right to carry out the October 7 attack, according to the poll. Only 10 percent believe that Hamas has committed war crimes.
The Gaza war began with Hamas’ major terrorist attack from Gaza into Israel on October 7. According to Israeli data, Hamas’ attacking forces killed at least 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Around 200 people were taken hostage during the attack.
On the Palestinian side, reliable authorities state that a total of over 18,000 lives have been claimed in Israeli bombings and attacks. That figure does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but according to Israel, over 7,000 Hamas men have been killed.
According to the poll, 88 percent think that Abbas should resign, which means an increase of ten percentage points compared to three months earlier.
The PA currently manages a limited Palestinian self-government in the occupied West Bank.