Nearly half (47%) of Israeli residents believe returning the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7th is the highest priority of Israel’s war against Hamas – whereas 42% of Israelis said that toppling Hamas’ grip over the Gaza Strip should be Israel’s main priority, a poll published Tuesday by the Israeli Democracy Institute (IDI) discovered.
The 47% to 42% split is divided further based on demographics, with 53% of female respondents saying that releasing hostages is the most important factor in the war compared to 40% of male respondents. 69% of Arab-Israelis said bringing the hostages home should be the main goal, versus a tiny minority (8%) who prioritize toppling Hamas. A sizeable 23% of Arab Israelis say they don’t know.
Responses to the question of what Israel’s main goal of the war should be were further divided on political lines. For example, 71% of respondents who identify with Israel’s Labor party said the primary goal should be retrieving hostages, while 20% of Labor party supporters said the primary factor of the war should be to defeat Hamas militarily. Conversely, 77% of Religious Zionism supporters said defeating Hamas should be Israel’s primary goal, compared to 19% who said saving Israeli