Wide Majority of Israelis Hold Netanyahu Responsible for Hamas Attack: Survey

Amid the US, the UK and many other countries extending support to Israel in its ongoing war against the Hamas militants, nearly 80 per cent of Israelis blame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the failure to prevent the attack by the Palestinian group on October 7.

A poll in the Ma'ariv newspaper on Friday showed that Israelis are not happy with its Prime Minister even as the army chief of staff, the head of military intelligence and the head of the Shin Bet intelligence service have all admitted their services failed to prevent the attack.

The survey, commissioned by Israel's Maariv newspaper and conducted by the Lazar Institute on October 18-19, revealed that a mere 8 per cent of respondents did not attribute responsibility for the attacks in Israeli territories near the Gaza Strip to Netanyahu.

Also, Netanyahu's coalition partner, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has admitted that the government leadership and security leadership had failed to protect the country. However, the Prime Minister has not made a comment on taking responsibility for preventing the attack.

Even within the ranks of Netanyahu's governing Likud party, a substantial 69 per cent of voters expressed the belief that he should take responsibility.

The survey indicated a significant lead for former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, the leader of a centrist opposition party who recently entered a unity government. According to the results, 48 per cent of those surveyed believed Gantz would be a more capable Prime Minister, while only 28 per cent thought the same of Netanyahu.

The poll was conducted on October 18 and 19 among 510 respondents and had a 4.3 per cent margin of error, Ma'ariv said.

In an operation coined 'the Al-Aqsa Storm,' Hamas, whose formal name is the Islamic Resistance Movement, fired thousands of rockets into Israel on October 7.

Israeli attacks on Gaza have resulted in the tragic loss of at least 3,785 Palestinian lives, while in Israel, the toll has exceeded 1,400 individuals.