A recent survey carried out by the Palestinian Institute for Social and Economic Progress (ISEP) has shown that six percent of Gazans feel Hamas should remain in power once the current war with Israel comes to an end. The survey also showed that 5.3 percent of those polled would vote for the militant group if they were holding an election.
The results also indicated a change in political mood, with 70 percent of respondents indicating that Hamas is no longer capable of dictating the situation in Gaza. While 58 percent of the respondents indicated that a ceasefire and hostage agreement could only be negotiated by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Support for Fatah, the Palestinian nationalist movement, has increased significantly, rising by 12 percentage points since the ceasefire, while support for Hamas is low at 5.3 percent. Over half of respondents preferred Gaza to be rebuilt to a better condition than it was before the war.
The survey also looked at the question of aid diversion, with 44.1 percent of the respondents holding Hamas fully responsible for aid diversion, while two-thirds accepted that aid diversion is still a major issue in Gaza. The survey was administered through quota sampling among 400 participants in 34 pre-war sites in the Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis governorates, including those 15 years and above.
In another poll held by the Arab World Center for Research and Development (AWRAD), 60 percent of the Gazans showed optimism about the future. Further, 56 percent opined that Palestinian society was on the right path. The survey also revealed that 65 percent of the participants regarded Washington’s contribution to the ceasefire agreement as positive, whereas 63 percent attributed Trump’s victory and assumption of office to playing a major role in negotiating the deal.