JERUSALEM

A recent poll revealed that 62% of Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should resign because he is responsible for the failures that led to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

A survey published by the Israeli daily Maariv on Friday showed that 62% of Israelis support Netanyahu’s resignation, while 29% oppose it, and 19% expressed no opinion.

Among opposition voters, 93% support Netanyahu's resignation, compared to just 31% of voters from coalition partners in the government.

Notably, 18% of Likud voters, the party led by Netanyahu, also believe he should vacate his position due to his role in the failure to prevent the attack.

Despite the criticism, Netanyahu has consistently refused to take responsibility, instead shifting the blame onto the military.

The poll also showed that only 28% of Israelis believe that the prisoner exchange and ceasefire agreement in Gaza will be fully implemented. In contrast, 39% expected it to be fully disregarded, and 33% were undecided.

The survey also found that if elections were held today, the opposition bloc would win 59 out of the 120 seats in the Knesset, while Netanyahu’s coalition would secure 51 seats. Arab parties are projected to hold 10 seats.

Following the resignation of far-right Otzma Yehudit party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir and the commencement of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire, Likud would win 21 seats, losing two compared to the previous week’s poll.

Despite these shifts, there is no indication that elections are imminent, as Netanyahu has refused to call for elections, citing the ongoing war as the reason.

The first six-week phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed nearly 47,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 111,500 since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

The three-phase agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, and its residents displaced, hungry, and prone to disease.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi.