Poll: 41% of Israelis want to ease restrictions on Gaza

Following the largest outbreak of violence with the Gaza Strip in four years, over 41 percent of Israelis would like to see Israel ease restrictions on the coastal enclave that have contributed to a humanitarian crises there, according to a poll published Saturday.

The survey, published on Hadashot news, also saw some 28% of respondents call for Israel to reconquer the Gaza Strip and bring down the Hamas terror group that has ruled Gaza since 2007. A further 18% said Israel should leave Gaza as it is, while 11% had no opinion.

However a majority of those polled thought Israel was not doing enough to avert another war with Gaza. Some 53% said the government was not doing enough, while 40% thought government actions satisfactory to avert another conflict, and 7% had no opinion.

Gaza faces a lack of electricity, drinkable water, and food. Israel and Egypt maintain a blockade on the strip to prevent Hamas from importing weapons and other goods that could be used to build fortifications or tunnels.

Israel says the humanitarian situation will not be improved until Hamas returns the bodies of two IDF soldiers and the two civilians captives it holds. It blames Hamas for the dire situation, charging the terror group with diverting millions in aid to purchase weapons, dig tunnels, manufacture rockets and train its military wing, instead of using it for the welfare of the people.

The situation has also been made worse by an ongoing dispute between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, which has cut salaries it pays to workers in Gaza and has imposed various sanctions, including cutting of payments for electricity supplies to Gaza.

The poll was taken following a week that saw the worst escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas since the 2014 war in Gaza. Earlier this week, Palestinian terror groups fired over 100 rockets and mortars at towns and cities in southern Israel. The Israel Defense Forces responded with dozens of airstrikes on Hamas military targets. After almost 24 hours of fire, a tacit understanding and unofficial ceasefire began, though both sides have described it as fragile.

The poll also asked Israelis if they were satisfied with the functioning of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman during the uptick in violence.

According to the poll, 62% thought Netanyahu’s handling of the situation was “good,” 28% said “not good,” and 10 percent had no opinion. Liberman had similar numbers with 59% saying “good,” 28% “not good” and 13 percent no opinion.

Israel has fought three wars with Hamas in Gaza since 2007. Recent weeks have seen wide-spread violent protests along the Gaza border.

The poll was conducted by the Midgam company on May 31. It polled 514 Israelis and had a margin of error of 4.4%.