72% of Israelis say aid deliveries to Gaza must be stopped, survey finds

Half of Israelis oppose a deal between Israel and Palestinian resistance factions which would see Israeli prisoners of war released from Gaza in exchange for thousands of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons and a 45-day ceasefire, a new poll has found.

Published by Israel’s Channel 12 today, the poll revealed that “50 per cent of Israelis oppose a deal under which Israeli prisoners are released in exchange for a 45-day ceasefire and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.”

The poll stated that “35 per cent of Israelis support such a deal, while 15 per cent do not have a specific answer.”

Of those who voted for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, “12 per cent support the proposal and 75 per cent oppose it.” This rises to 53 per cent who support such a proposal among the opposition, the poll found.

Alarmingly, 72 per cent of the 503 respondents said “the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip must be stopped until the Israeli prisoners are released,” with only 21 per cent saying aid should continue to enter Gaza.

If Israeli elections were to be held today, the survey found that the National Unity Party headed by Benny Gantz would win 37 of the 120 Knesset seats, compared to the 12 it currently holds.

On the other hand, the Likud Party, headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu, “will drop from the 32 seats it has now to 18 seats if the elections were held today.”

Channel 12 found that if elections were held today, the parties opposing Netanyahu’s coalition would obtain 73 seats, while the parties supporting Netanyahu would obtain 47 seats. Currently, the parties supporting Netanyahu have 64 seats in the Knesset.

It is necessary to obtain the confidence of at least 61 representatives in the Knesset to form a government.

Calls have increased in recent weeks to hold early elections. These have been rejected by Netanyahu who says no ballot can be held during times of war.

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