A majority of Israelis oppose the permanent annexation of parts of the Gaza Strip, a move that the government has reportedly begun mulling amid the logjam in efforts to secure a hostage release and ceasefire deal with Hamas, a poll conducted for The Times of Israel found.
Among respondents to the poll, 53.2 percent rejected annexing parts of the Strip, while 38.9% support annexation and 7.9% had no opinion.
The survey also found that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party would win the most seats were elections held today, but it with its allied factions would fall far short of securing a majority coalition.
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In the wake of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, and throughout the war in Gaza, leaders on the far right have called for Israel to annex the territory and reestablish settlements there. Israel evacuated its settlements and troops from the enclave under the 2005 disengagement program.
In recent days, following the breakdown of negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, the cabinet has reportedly discussed annexation and threatened Hamas with taking such steps unless the terror group agrees to a deal to release the 50 hostages it is holding. Advocates of resettlement have also held gatherings to advance the prospect, attended by lawmakers from the coalition.
The survey was conducted on Wednesday by political consultant Yossi Tatika, owner of Tatika Research and Media, in collaboration with the Adgenda panel led by Roi Shindler. It had 404 Jewish and Arab respondents, and a margin of error of 4.8%.
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