Tehran – Research shows that almost half of Israelis believe that the military alone cannot defeat Hamas in Gaza.
According to the poll, 49% of respondents said it was impossible to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza and remove Hamas from power.
The survey was conducted by the Viterbi Family Centre for Public Opinion and Policy Studies, which claims to hold the most comprehensive database of Israeli polls.
In contrast, 46% of respondents said they “believe or believe” they could achieve both their goals of being able to release hostages and defeat Hamas.
When asked to choose a prioritization objective, 68% of Israelis said hostage recovery should be prioritized, but only 25% prioritized the removal of Hamas.
This trend has grown over time. The same survey conducted in January 2025 and September 2023 shows increased support for hostage recovery and reduced support for Hamas removal.
Currently, around 59 Israeli prisoners remain in Gaza. Israeli military estimates suggest that 35 people were killed during the ongoing artillery fire and siege of the Gaza enclave.
Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Al-Kassam Brigade, Hamas military division, recently said, “If the enemy is really worried about the lives of these hostages, they must negotiate immediately for release or evacuation.”
He denounced the fate of the hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, saying, “If they had cared about them, they would have honored the January agreement. Most of the prisoners could have been at home by now.”
Israeli forces have failed to recover hostages through military action for more than a year and a half in the US-backed genocide war with Gaza. All those released so far have been released through a ceasefire deal.
The latest ceasefire began on January 19, 2025, but collapsed on March 18 after an Israeli airstrike that killed hundreds of Palestinians in one day.
Netanyahu faces widespread accusations of extending US-backed genocide, maintaining power amid threats from coalition partners and maintaining power to overthrow the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, Palestinian resistance groups have resumed guerrilla-style operations against Israeli occupation forces.
Despite ongoing military efforts, Israeli media reports that only 25% of Gaza’s tunnel network, which is considered key to Hamas’ military power, has been dismantled.
Reuters reported Thursday that progress was being made when US President Donald Trump returned hostages, and that he “is dealing with both Israel and Hamas,” but did not elaborate on the talks.