Israelis believe Gaza war harmed deterrence capability

The majority of Israelis believe the deterrence achieved by the Israeli army was weakened by the war on the Gaza Strip, a new poll has revealed.

The Independent Media Review and Analysis (IMRA) was commissioned by Israeli TV Channel 2 to conduct the poll.

The results show that 35 per cent of the Israeli population support the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, while 56 per cent did not.

The poll also showed that 73 per cent of Israelis believe that the war on Gaza had weakened the Israeli deterrence, while 22 per cent of them believe it has become stronger.

Some 62 per cent are satisfied with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s performance in the war, while 10 per cent said they were dissatisfied.

Netanyahu’s popularity has dropped since the start of the Gaza operation, previous polls put it at 82 per cent before July 7.