Poll finds 72% of Israelis think Netanyahu needs to quit over Oct. 7 failure

Seventy-two percent of Israelis think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to resign over the failures of October 7, according to a Channel 12 poll.

Of those, 44% believe Netanyahu needs to quit immediately, while another 28% believe he should quit when the war ends.

The poll also found that 50% of those who define themselves as supporters of the current government believe Netanyahu must resign before the end of his term. Forty-two percent of supporters say he should see out his term.

The poll also finds that the public views Netanyahu as the Israeli most responsible for the October 7 catastrophe, when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists stormed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 251 hostages.

Thirty-nine percent said Netanyahu was most responsible, 18% said former military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva was mostly to blame, 10% singled out IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi, 7% voted for Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and only 4% laid the blame with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Among them, Netanyahu is the only one yet to admit culpability for the disaster.

The poll also finds broad public support for a deal with Hamas that would see a ceasefire and the return of the hostages, with 64% in favor, and 15% against. A further 21% say they don’t know.