Majority of public backs continuing hostage deal after first phase — poll

Protesters gather at the Begin Gate of the Kirya military headquarters, in Tel Aviv, to urge the government to approve a hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas, January 16, 2025. (Pro-Democracy Movement/Yael Gadot)
Protesters gather at the Begin Gate of the Kirya military headquarters, in Tel Aviv, to urge the government to approve a hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas, January 16, 2025. (Pro-Democracy Movement/Yael Gadot)

A majority of the Israeli public supports continuing the hostage deal into the second phase, a poll aired on the Kan public broadcaster says.

Fifty-five percent of the public wants the deal to continue, even though that means ending the war, the poll reveals. Twenty-seven percent of the public believes the war should resume after the first phase while 18% say they don’t know.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously pledged to continue the war until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities have been dismantled. He has reportedly indicated to far-right ministers in his cabinet that he still plans to do so after the first phase.

The Likud party even issued a statement yesterday claiming that US President-elect Donald Trump has given Netanyahu assurances that Israel will be able to resume fighting after the first phase.

During the first phase, Israel and Hamas are supposed to hold negotiations regarding the terms of the second phase during which the remaining living hostages will be released. The mediators will serve as guarantors to ensure that the parties remain at the table until an agreement on the second phase is reached, allowing the ceasefire to extend. The second phase would conclude with a permanent ceasefire.

The Kan poll also shows that 62% of the public supports the deal thus far, compared to 18% who are opposed and 20% who said they are undecided.

Even among coalition voters, 45% of respondents support the deal, compared to 30% who oppose it.

However, 46% of coalition voters believe that Israel should resume fighting in the second phase, in apparent violation of the deal’s terms and at the expense of the hostages slated to be released then. Thirty-five percent of coalition voters back continuing the deal into the second phase and 19% of them said they don’t know.

Forty percent of the public thinks there’s a medium chance that the deal will extend into the second phase while 23% think there’s a low chance that it will and 21% think there’s a high chance. Sixteen percent said they were unsure.

Asked which party was responsible for the fact that it took nearly 470 days to reach the agreement, 36% said it was Hamas, 25% said it was Israel, 22% said both sides equally while 17% said they didn’t know.

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