A majority of Israelis – both Jews and Arabs – support fully completing the hostage deal before making a decision about the future of Hamas rule in Gaza, a survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute has found.
The JPPI survey, conducted late last week and early this week, was released ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, where negotiations regarding the hostages will also be discussed.
The findings indicate that among Arab respondents, three out of four support completing the deal, with only a small minority favoring a return to fighting. Among Jewish respondents, about one-quarter prefer halting the deal after the first phase and resuming military operations to topple Hamas.
Across the general public, around one-fifth advocates stopping the deal and returning to war.
A similar JPPI survey in January found that 55% of the public supported agreeing to Hamas’s demands to secure the hostages’ release, with the belief that fighting could always be resumed later.
The survey highlights significant ideological and political differences. Among right-wing respondents, nearly half (48%) support returning to war after the first phase, while 32% favor completing the deal first.
Outside the right-wing bloc, there is a clear majority in favor of completing the deal before deciding on Hamas rule in Gaza. Political party affiliations further reflect these divisions.
Supporters of the Religious Zionist Party and Otzma Yehudit stand out in their preference for resuming the war, with 70% of RZP voters and 60% of Otzma Yehudit voters – those who say they would vote for these parties today – favoring a return to military action.
Results mixed amongst right-wing voters
Likud voters are more divided, with a slight plurality (43%) favoring completing the deal, while 40% prefer returning to war. Among opposition party voters, there is an overwhelming preference for continuing the deal. Support among National Unity voters stands at 89%, among Yesh Atid voters at 98%, among Yisrael Beytenu voters at 79%, and among The Democrats voters at 99%.
Despite the strong preference among RZP and Otzma Yehudit voters for resuming the war, the survey shows that the religious public overall is more divided. Forty-five percent of religious respondents support completing the deal, compared to 38% who favor halting the deal after the first phase and returning to war.
The results are expected to play a role in shaping the Netanyahu-Trump discussions in Washington in the next few days.