A newly released poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) reveals that a majority of Gazans now believe that Hamas’ decision to launch the Oct. 7 attack on Israel was incorrect. The poll, published on Tuesday, shows a significant shift in public opinion, with 57 percent of respondents in Gaza opposing the decision, while 39 percent still support it.

This marks the first time since the Oct. 7 assault that a PSR poll has found a majority in Gaza expressing opposition to the attack. In contrast, a previous PSR poll conducted in June showed that 57 percent of Gazans believed the attack was the right decision.

In the West Bank, support for the Oct. 7 attack remains higher, with 64 percent of respondents considering it the correct decision, although this also represents a drop in favorability. The PSR poll surveyed 1,200 people face-to-face, including 790 in the West Bank and 410 in Gaza, with a margin of error of 3.5 percent.

Since Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza, support for Hamas and its actions has steadily declined in the territory, with the poll showing that only 35 percent of Gazans now support the terrorist group, down from 38 percent.

The poll also revealed that despite support for the Oct. 7 attack, nearly 90 percent of respondents believe that Hamas fighters did not commit the atrocities shown in videos from that day. However, extensive documentation has since confirmed that Palestinian terrorists led by Hamas committed mass violence, including assaults against women and torture.

The findings also show that Hamas remains more popular than the Fatah movement, led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in both Gaza and the West Bank. PSR noted that the poll is the first to show a significant drop in support for the attack in both territories since the conflict began.

This shift in public opinion comes amidst accusations from the IDF that Hamas attempted to falsify PSR poll results to inflate support for the group. PSR has investigated the claims and stated that no data manipulation was detected in its findings.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)