War on Gaza: Majority of Israelis support withholding aid to Gaza until captives returned

A new Israeli public opinion poll published on Tuesday suggests a majority of Israelis are for the complete suspension of aid entering Gaza until Israeli captives are returned. 

The poll, commissioned by Israeli outlet News12, asked participants whether humanitarian aid to Gaza should be halted until captives held in the Strip are returned to Israel.

Seventy two percent said that it should, 21 percent said that aid should not stop, and seven percent said they didn’t know. 

The results of the poll come a day after a video circulated on social media showed Israeli reservists telling Israel’s minister of defence, Yoav Gallant, to “not be afraid of occupation” and that there should be “no aid to Gaza”.

Last week, Israeli protesters, including relatives of those taken captive to Gaza on 7 October, blocked emergency aid from reaching the enclave through the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

Reports in Israeli media stated that the protesters had been picketing the humanitarian trucks going into Gaza, and demanding that aid be cut off until the remaining captives are released. 

The group of protesters made their way through a roadblock, walking several kilometres toward the crossing. The protesters have been urging the government to prohibit any humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza.

They held up over 100 trucks, some of which were eventually diverted and forced to find an alternative entry point in Egypt, delaying the aid further and forcing it to go through further checks. 

Public opinion on war on Gaza

The poll asked a range of questions to gauge opinions on issues related to Israel’s war on Gaza.

When asked if an investigation committee should be formed to look into Israel’s failures during Hamas’ surprise attack on 7 October, 61 percent voted yes, while 32 percent said that it should be formed immediately.

The poll results also showed that the public believed Gadi Eisenkot, a member of the National Unity party, would be a more suitable prime minister than the incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu, with Eisenkot receiving 36 percent of the votes compared to 21 percent for the prime minister. 

When it came to whether the government should formulate a deal to secure the release of the Israelis held in Gaza, and pause the war for 45 days while releasing hundreds of Palestinians, 35 percent said they were supportive, while 50 percent said they were opposed to the idea.

Regarding the proposal to set up Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, 51 percent of people said they were against it, while 38 percent expressed support for it. However, among Netanyahu bloc voters, 66 percent support the idea.