More than half of Likud voters support ending the war in Gaza as part of a hostage deal, a survey conducted by the AGAM LABS research institute uncovered on Monday. The survey also found that almost one-third of Religious Zionist Party (RZP) and Otzma Yehudit voters back such a deal.
The survey conducted revealed that a majority of Israelis (73.79%) support a hostage deal and an end to the war, compared to 26.21% who want the fighting to continue. Among Jewish respondents, 68.3% favor a deal, while among Arab respondents, support rises to 98.1%.
In addition, two-thirds of the Israeli public believes government members' political considerations influence the conduct of the war, while one-third thinks the war is managed with the country’s best interests in mind. Among soldiers, 64% believe the war is driven by political motives.
In terms of support by party affiliation, the results were as follows: 28.4% of Religious Zionist Party and Otzma Yehudit supported a deal; United Torah Judaism at 40.8%; Shas at 43.2%; Likud at 54.7%; Yisrael Beytenu had 79.1%; Blue and White saw 91.7% of support; Yesh Atid had 92.4%; and the Democrats overwhelmingly supported a deal at 96.4%.
What do the soldiers think about a deal?
Among soldiers serving in the war, both regular and reserve, a majority of 73.9% supported ending the war in order to secure a hostage deal, compared to 26.1% who believe the fighting in Gaza should continue even at the risk of the hostages’ lives.
The data also showed that 40% of regular and reserve soldiers report a decline in their motivation to serve in the war, compared to 13% who say their motivation has increased. The rest indicated no change in their willingness to fight.