80% of people in Lebanon support Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacres in Israel, poll finds

Around 80 percent of people in Lebanon support Hamas’s October 7 onslaught in southern Israel, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood by the terror group, according to a new poll published by a Lebanese newspaper on Monday.

The poll by the Al-Akhbar daily examined the feelings and attitudes of Lebanese citizens towards the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which was triggered after some 2,500 Hamas terrorists stormed across Israel’s border with Gaza on Saturday, October 7, slaughtering 1,400 people, most of them civilians, and taking at least 243 hostages.

Conducted by the Consultative Center for Studies and Documentation, the research was carried out with a sample group of 400 people. Participants were selected from multiple ethnic groups and featured answers from Shiite and Sunni Muslims, Christians, and Druze.

In response to a question regarding Hamas’s massacres inside Israel, over 80% of people said they supported them, while fewer than 20% opposed what had happened.

The wording of the survey was not specified by Al-Akhbar and it was not clear whether the questions detailed the nature of the Hamas atrocities, which included executing families, butchering babies, children, men, women and the elderly in their homes, and massacring over 260 people at an outdoor music festival.

Of those who opposed Hamas’s rampage, 42.3% said they opposed war in general, 26.9% said they supported peace, 25% said they did not believe there was any point to the attack and 5.1% of opponents said they did not believe Hamas was responsible for it.

Israeli security and rescue forces at the site where a rocket fired from Lebanon hit the northern town of Kiryat Shmona, October 29, 2023. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

Examining the data by ethnic group, Al-Akhbar found that support for Hamas’s actions was highest among Shiites, at 98%, followed by Sunnis and Druze, with 86% in each group. Around 60% of Christians supported the violence.

Asked how they see Lebanon’s participation in the war, Al-Akhbar reported that 75% of participants rejected the option of Lebanon remaining neutral.

Over half of respondents said they were content with the way in which Lebanon is currently engaging Israel along the shared border, where sporadic confrontations have persisted since October 8 in the form of missile fire, shelling and rocket attacks.

However, 32% of people found Hezbollah’s actions unsatisfactory and said they would prefer to see a second front be opened in Israel’s war against Hamas.

Regarding responsibility for the violence and the destabilization of the region, Al-Akhbar found that 47% held the United States accountable, and 34% placed the blame on Israel.

An additional 13% blamed Iran for the current escalation and war, while just 5% of participants believed the responsibility fell on Hamas.

Since October 8, daily clashes have taken place between Hezbollah operatives and members of allied Palestinian terror groups inside Lebanon, and IDF soldiers, in the largest escalation seen on the northern border since the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

Israel has stated that it is ready to face Lebanon should a new front be opened in the war and has repeatedly warned Hezbollah against entering the conflict.

Amid the repeated attacks, 42 communities along the northern Israelis border have been evacuated, while other residents have chosen to leave voluntarily in fear of the skirmishes becoming a full-blown second front.