Poll: 72% of Israelis support a prisoner exchange deal
A new poll revealed that 72% of Israelis support a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, while 62% of respondents expressed a lack of confidence in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
This is according to a poll conducted by the Lazar Research Institute on August 20 and 21 for the Israeli Maariv newspaper.
The survey included 509 Israeli adults, with a maximum margin of error of 4.4%.
The survey shows that 62% of respondents believe the government currently lacks the confidence of Israelis, compared to 27% who said it does, and 11% who said they didn’t know.
He also revealed that 72% of Israelis support a deal to return prisoners in Gaza, whether it is a comprehensive deal that ends the genocide (46%) or an urgent partial deal (26%).
In contrast, according to the poll results, only 18% of Israelis said they opposed reaching a deal, believing the fighting should continue until Hamas is defeated, even if it costs the lives of prisoners.
The poll results expose the falsity of claims made by ministers in Netanyahu’s government.
Settlement Minister Orit Struck claimed in an interview Wednesday with local radio station Kol Barama that the overwhelming majority of the Israeli public sees the need to continue the fight, considering it the only way to return the captives and defeat Hamas.
The poll comes amid mounting pressure from the families of Israeli prisoners to pursue a deal to secure their release. Netanyahu ordered immediate negotiations on Thursday to secure their release, while advancing the plan to occupy the remaining Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu’s statement demonstrates his desire for a deal with new terms, at a time when mediators are awaiting his official response to a US proposal recently approved by Hamas, which largely matches what Israel previously agreed to.
Israel estimates that Hamas holds 50 hostages, including 20 living prisoners, while it holds more than 10,800 Palestinians in its prisons, amid human rights allegations of torture and medical neglect.
According to the private Israeli Channel 12, the proposed proposal includes the redeployment of Israeli forces near the border to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid, and a temporary ceasefire for 60 days, during which the exchange would be implemented in two stages: the release of 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 bodies in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners, along with discussions on permanent ceasefire arrangements from day one.
