JERUSALEM

A recent poll released on Friday reveals that 40% of Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the most suitable candidate to lead the government, narrowly ahead of former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who received 39% support.

This is the second consecutive week that Netanyahu has edged out Gantz in opinion polls since the Gaza conflict escalated.

According to Israeli newspaper Maariv, the poll shows that Netanyahu continues to hold a slight lead over Gantz, a trend that has persisted in weekly surveys conducted by the Lazar Institute.

Last week, 42% of Israelis supported Netanyahu, versus 40% for Gantz.

Despite Netanyahu's intensified military offensive against Gaza and expanding confrontations with Hezbollah, his approval ratings have remained strong, says Maariv.

The poll also revealed that 47% of respondents oppose Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's dismissal, 27% support it, and 26% are undecided.

Regarding Israel's capacity to handle a multi-front war, 57% of respondents believe that cooperation with the US is essential, whereas 29% think Israel can manage on its own.

The survey also shows that Netanyahu's Likud party leads the other political factions. If elections are held today, the Likud would win 22 out of 120 Knesset seats, followed by Gantz’s National Unity Party with 21. The right-wing Israel Beiteinu Party, led by Avigdor Lieberman, would get 15 seats, with Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid Party gaining 14.

Overall, Netanyahu's bloc would hold 51 seats, the opposition bloc would have 59, and Arab parties would get 10 seats.

A majority of 61 seats are required to form a government, but immediate elections seem unlikely as Netanyahu resists calls for them amid the ongoing war.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack last October by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Since then, an ongoing Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip has killed over 40,000 Palestinians.

Over 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi