49% of Israelis support postponing ground offensive in Gaza: Poll

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - A recent public opinion poll showed on Friday that 49% of Israelis support postponing any ground invasion in Gaza.

The poll conducted by the Lazar Research Institute for Israeli daily Maariv revealed that the 49% of Israelis also believe that Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party, is the most suitable figure to lead the country’s government.

The poll involved a random sample of 522 Israeli adults, with a margin of error of 4.3%.

The newspaper reported that 29% of Israelis said that the army must immediately launch a large-scale ground operation in Gaza, while 22% said that they did not have a specific answer.

The newspaper noted that in a poll last week, the majority of participants, 65%, supported a large-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip.

"It is likely that the developments that have occurred since then regarding the issue of the abductees (in Gaza), which rose to the top of the agenda, have great weight in this change," the newspaper said.

Within less than a week, Hamas released four female prisoners for “humanitarian reasons,” including two who hold US citizenship.

Meanwhile, 28% believed that current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should remain in his post, while 23% said they did not have a specific opinion.

The poll revealed a sharp collapse in the popularity of the Likud party led by Netanyahu, compared to a significant rise for the National Unity party.

The poll expected the National Unity Party to win 36 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, if elections were held today, compared to the 12 seats it holds now.

The Likud Party is likely to win only 19 seats, compared to the 32 seats it has.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat