Benny Gantz preferred over Benjamin Netanyahu after Gaza war ends, poll finds

A new poll has revealed a damning picture of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Only 15 per cent of Israelis want Bibi to stay in office after the war with Hamas in Gaza ends, preferring Benny Gantz over him.

The survey was conducted by the Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute and included605 Jewish Israelis and 151 Arab Israelis as representative sample.

The leader of the National Unity party, Benny Gantz, was named as the preferred prime minister after the war by almost a quarter (23 per cent) of the respondents.

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Despite the low share of the respondents who wish to see Netanyahu as prime minister when the war is over, there is no alternative on the Right whose support even comes close, the survey showed.

Minister of Internal Security Ben-Gvir is preferred by only 1.5 per cent, ex-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen by 1 per cent andMinister of Defence Yoav Gallant by just 0.5 per centof respondents.

This is not the first instance when Netanyahu's popularity has taken a dip. Last week, another poll was carried out by the Bar-Ilan University in which it was revealed that only 24 per cent of Israelis considered Netanyahu as the most trustworthy source of news related to the war against Hamas.

Currently, Netanyahu's political ratings are plummeting and he has already been abandoned by large chunks of his nationalist base, as per the polls.

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Netanyahu rules out peace with Hamas

Netanyahu has ruled out stopping the war in Gaza until Hamas is eliminated from the region.

"We won't stop fighting until we've achieved all the objectives we've set ourselves: the elimination of Hamas, the release of our hostages and the end of the threat from Gaza," Netanyahu said in a statement.

"Anyone who thinks we’ll stop is unmoored from reality.We’re raining fire on Hamas, hell fire. All Hamas terrorists, from first to last face death. They have two options only: surrender or die," he added.

While Netanyahu claims Israel will not stop the war, Russia and the Arab League have increased the diplomatic pressure on Israel to give up its tough act.

In the October 7 attacks, as many as 1,140 people died, most of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities.

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims Israel's military response has killed over 22,000 people, mostly women and children.

(With inputs from agencies)