Poll: Half of Gaza residents expect Hamas to win and return to rule the Strip

General

Bethlehem Together – A poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, published yesterday, Wednesday, showed that more than 60% of the residents of the Gaza Strip lost relatives in the war on Gaza, while two-thirds of the Palestinian public supports the October 7 attack, and 80% believe that Putting the Palestinian issue in the focus of global attention.

According to the poll, which was conducted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip between May 26 and June 1 and included 1,570 people, half of the residents of the Gaza Strip expect Hamas to win and return to rule the Gaza Strip after the war, and a quarter of them expect Israel to win.

The poll indicated an increase in demands for the resignation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in exchange for an increase in the popularity of Hamas and the leader of the Fatah movement, the prisoner Marwan Barghouti, as well as support for armed action, with a decrease in support for the two-state solution. More than 60% supported the dissolution
of the Palestinian Authority.

40% said that they support the Hamas movement, while 20% supported the Fatah movement, and 7% said that they supported third forces, while 33% said that they did not support any of them or did not know of them. These results mean an increase in support for Hamas by 6% and for Fatah by 3%. Slightly more than half believe that Hamas is the most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people today, while only 16% believe that Fatah, led by Abbas, is more deserving.

Regarding the leadership level, support for Marwan Barghouti continues to rise. If presidential elections are held between Abbas, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and Marwan Barghouti, Barghouti will win the majority of those participating in the elections. In a bilateral competition between Barghouti and Haniyeh, the former wins the support of about 60% of participating voters.

If no options were mentioned about the candidates, Barghouti received 29% support, Haniyeh 14%, Muhammad Dahlan 8%, Yahya Sinwar 7%,
and Mustafa Barghouti 2%.

The survey showed that the percentage of satisfaction with Abbas’s performance was 12% and the percentage of dissatisfaction was 85%. About 90% say they want the president to resign. The percentage of demands for Abbas’s resignation is 94% in the West Bank and 83% in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian public gave the highest importance to addressing the effects of the current war in the Gaza Strip, to reconciliation, forming a national unity government, and providing humanitarian services. Then came the second formation of a national unity government to negotiate with Israel and the international community to end the war and rebuild the Gaza Strip in the future. Third, the Palestinian Authority ‘leads a campaign to provide humanitarian services to the people of Gaza in cooperation with Egypt and the international community.’

Support for the two-state solution reached only a third, and the majority say they support armed action. Compared to the previous poll, support for the two-state
solution decreased significantly, and support for armed struggle increased. But the decline in support for the two-state solution came only from the Gaza Strip, a dramatic decline of 30%. Despite this, about half in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank believe that the first supreme goal of the Palestinian people should be to achieve an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders and establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

More than 60% supported the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority, and more than a fifth of the percentage supported abandoning the two-state solution and demanding one state for Palestinians and Israelis. More than half said that ending the occupation would be achieved through ‘armed struggle,’ and a quarter chose negotiations.

75% of the Palestinian public opposed Saudi-Israeli normalization, even if that was conditional on Israel accepting a Palestinian state and taking concrete and irreversible steps towards that goal.

Res
ponse to settler attacks: Finally, in light of the increase in attacks launched by settlers against Palestinian towns and villages, we asked West Bank residents what are the most effective, and at the same time most realistic, means of combating this violence:

Regarding the response to settler attacks, less than half supported ‘the formation of armed groups by residents of the targeted areas,’ and slightly more than a quarter chose ‘deployment of Palestinian police forces in the targeted areas,’ and a percentage of about a fifth said that they were with the demand for ‘the Israeli army to take action.’ Effective measures to prevent settler terrorism,’ and a small percentage chose ‘to form unarmed groups by residents of the targeted areas.’

64% of Gaza Strip residents said they had enough food for one or two days; 36% say they don’t have enough food for a day or two.

When they need food or water, only 26% of Gaza Strip residents say they have access to a place where they can get help. A percentage of 72% sa
y that they can do so, but with great difficulty or risk, and a percentage of 2% say that they cannot do so.

61% of the population of the Gaza Strip reported that one or more members of their family had been killed during the current war, and 65% said that one or more members of their family had been injured during this war. When combining the answers to the two questions and omitting the common answers, the results show that 78% had one or more members of their family killed or injured, and that only 22% had no members of their family killed or injured.

Regarding the availability of basic needs: water, food, electricity, tents, blankets, clothing, medical care, and toilets, the percentage of those who said ‘yes, available’ ranged between 26% for tents and 44% for food. But a larger percentage said that it is possible to obtain them or access these needs, but with great difficulty and risks. This was particularly the case for medical care, tents, food, water and electricity. The results show that the needs
that appear to be largely unavailable for most residents of the Gaza Strip are tents, clothing, blankets, medical care, and electricity to charge phones.

Regarding the party organizing or responsible for providing services to the displaced, 53% said it was UNRWA; 17% government agency; 15% said it was a local Palestinian group, and 11% said it was other international organizations.

The vast majority (76%) said that there is discrimination in the distribution based on political considerations, while only 24% said that the distribution is fair.

A majority of 78% said that the pier project established by the US Army does not contribute to alleviating the suffering of the population and delivering aid, while a percentage of 22% said that it contributes to that.

A majority of 63% said that it blames Israel for the current suffering of the residents of the Gaza Strip, while a percentage of 22% said

It blames the United States; Only 8% blame Hamas; Only 4% blame the Palestinian Authority.

76% rejected Abbas’s
statement at the Arab Summit in Manama that “the Hamas attack on October 7th provided Israel with more pretexts and justifications to attack the Gaza Strip,” but 20% agreed with that.

79% also rejected Abbas’s statement at the same conference that ‘Hamas’ position of refusing to end the division and accepting international legitimacy served the Israeli plan to perpetuate the separation of the Gaza Strip from the West Bank.’ A percentage of 17% (29% in the Gaza Strip and 9% in the West Bank) say they agree with that statement.

Regarding satisfaction from Arab and regional actors, it was found that the highest satisfaction rate came from Yemen, reaching 80%, Hezbollah (57%), Qatar (55%), Iran (49%), Jordan (25%), and Egypt (18%). .

Source: Maan News Agency