Poll: Majority of Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank support Hamas

A recent poll by polling and consulting firm Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) offered a glimpse into Palestinian views on the war in Israel. Of the total of 668 respondents, 59% "extremely support" the October 7 attacks by Hamas, while 16% "somewhat support" them. In total, 75% supported the massacre, while only 13% opposed.

A similar figure, 76%, have a positive view of the terrorist group. On the other hand, 10% have a "somewhat negative" image of Hamas, while 13% are diametrically opposed to the organization. The Palestinian Authority (PA), the party that governs the West Bank and is considered a possible replacement on the Gaza Strip if Hamas is eliminated, enjoys much less popularity. It is viewed positively by just 10% of respondents, while 87% have a negative perception of the PA.

The results of AWRAD's face-to-face interviews in both the southern Gaza Strip and the West Bank from Oct. 31 to Nov. 7 support other surveys on Palestinian public opinion. The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) not only maintained that the majority of Palestinians support Hamas, but also that 58% would vote for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh if there were election, and that the same percentage supports "armed confrontations and intifada" against Israel.

Post-conflict solutions

Palestinians surveyed were largely in favor of a ceasefire, 90% to be exact. However, this does not seem to be because they feel Hamas is headed for defeat: 73% think that "Palestine will win," an idea that may have been reinforced by the increase in Palestinian pride also reflected in the poll.

Although the poll was conducted as Israeli troops advanced their ground incursion into the Gaza Strip, only 3% of respondents predict an Israeli victory.

Fourteen percent of respondents say that "neither side will win." Hopes for a peace agreement to end the fighting are also not high, barely exceeding the prospect of a decisive victory by either side, 37% and 31%, respectively.

And if an agreement is ultimately reached, a majority of respondents doubt it will be a two-state solution, with one Israeli and one Palestinian. In fact, 75% support the establishment of a Palestinian state "from the river to the sea," a slogan that refers to the elimination of Israel, chanted even in the United States, both in the streets by Pro-Palestine protesters and by Representative Rashida Tlaib. On the other hand, 17% believe in a two-state solution and 5% in the creation of a single country where Israelis and Palestinians coexist.

However, regardless of how the clashes end, "98% stated that they will never forget and will never forgive what Israel did and is continuing to do during this war." The war has helped deepen the belief that peaceful coexistence is impossible: 90% said that since the start of the conflict they had become "less likely to hold such convictions."

International participation

On the international stage, both protests and pro-Palestinian media coverage have been seen within Gaza and the West Bank. Seventy-six percent of those surveyed responded that this international mobilization in favor of Palestine made them think that "there is hope for humanity in the future."

Israel has, according to the survey, an almost unanimously negative image: 99% had a negative opinion of the State of Israel. This was almost the same as the United States, which is viewed negatively by 98%. Although with a smaller percentage, Iran, sometimes called the "head of the snake" for Hamas, also has a mostly negative image, with 64% of those surveyed giving a somewhat or very negative opinion.

The United Nations, which has expressed positions in favor of Palestine numerous times, and the International Red Cross, which works on the ground, also were deemed unsatisfactory: with 89% and 70% negative opinions, respectively.

Those who, like Hamas, do enjoy majority favor are terrorist organizations Palestinian Islamic Jihad (84% positive), Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (80%) and Al-Qassam Brigades (87%).