JERUSALEM 

An opinion poll in Israel showed the National Unity party led by Benny Gantz, surpassing the Likud under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset if elections take place today. 

According to the survey conducted by the Israeli newspaper Maariv on Friday, the National Unity party would secure 40 seats in the 120-seat Knesset if elections were held today, up from its current 12 seats.

In contrast, the poll indicated that the Likud party would only secure 18 seats, down from its current 32 in the Knesset.

The newspaper also noted that the opposition leader Yair Lapid's party, There is a Future, which currently has 24 seats, would only win 10 seats if elections were held today, representing a sharp decline.

The poll also showed that the group supporting Netanyahu would win 47 seats, while the group against Netanyahu's premiership would win 68 seats.

Furthermore, the alliance between the Democratic Front for Peace and the Arab List for Change, rejecting both blocs, would secure 5 seats.

Regarding the prime ministership, the results showed that only 34% of Israelis believe that current Prime Minister Netanyahu is fit for the position. Meanwhile, 48% consider Gantz more suitable, while 18% did not share a particular preference.

To form a government in Israel, at least 61 votes are required in the Knesset. This suggests that if elections were held today, Netanyahu would not be able to form a government.

Given Netanyahu's reluctance to hold elections amid the continuing Gaza war, there is no imminent prospect of elections in Israel.

More than 30,800 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 73,000 others injured in Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Palestinian groups estimate that thousands of Palestinians have been detained by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the seaside enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul