MOST ISRAELIS BELIEVE NETANYAHU MORE INTERESTED IN STAYING IN POWER THAN ENDING GAZA WAR: POLL

Sat 24 May 2025:

The new poll, carried out by Israeli television network Channel 12, asked respondents whether Prime Minister Netanyahu is more interested in remaining in power than winning the war or freeing the remaining captives in Gaza.

Some 55 percent of respondents said they believed Netanyahu saw staying in power as his main goal, while only 36 percent said they believed returning the captives was paramount for the prime minister.

When returning the captives was exchanged for “winning the war”, responses remained roughly the same.

When asked why there hadn’t been another captives-for-ceasefire deal, some 53 percent of respondents said they believed it was due to political reasons.

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Netanyahu’s hardline stance

Israel’s Channel 12 reported Saturday that there is a consensus among the security agencies on the possibility of striking a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hardened his positions and recalled his negotiators from Doha.

Despite the talks’ collapse, the channel reported “consensus within Israeli security agencies that a deal remains achievable currently.”

Netanyahu reiterated at a press conference on Wednesday that Israel would only accept “a temporary ceasefire” for hostage returns, while imposing new conditions for ending his war on Gaza including Palestinian resistance groups’ disarmament and displacing Hamas leaders from Gaza.

Hamas has repeatedly offered to release Israeli captives “all at once” in exchange for ending the war, Israeli troop withdrawal, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli opposition and hostage families accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the war to appease his far-right coalition partners and maintain power.

Israel estimates 58 hostages are still held in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive. At the same time, more than 10,100 Palestinians remain in Israeli prisons, facing torture, hunger, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights reports.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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