Gazans had voted against Hamas days before attack

Palestinians walk amid debris in Al-Zawiya market in Gaza City on the fourth day of truce. Pic/AP

As many as 67 per cent of Gazans were hostile to Hamas ahead of the group's brutal October 7 attack on Israel, with some describing its rule as a second occupation, according to rare polling data analysed by a US-Palestinian researcher. The findings are striking against a backdrop of protests and counter-protests triggered by the attack, with the relationship between Hamas and ordinary Gazans often the subject of heated debate.

"We find in our surveys that 67 per cent of Palestinians in Gaza had little or no trust in Hamas in that period right before the attacks," said Amaney Jamal, dean of Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs. This is especially important because of the [erroneous] argument that all of Gaza supports Hamas, and therefore all of Gaza should be held accountable for the actions, atrocious actions of Hamas."

Jamal is one of the driving forces behind the Arab Barometer which conducts surveys and polling in the region, including in Gaza where fieldwork concluded on the eve of the attacks on Israel. "Seventy-five per cent said in the previous 30 days, they could not afford to feed their households. So again, this is an impoverished society, a society that is basically saying the Hamas-led government has some levels of corruption," said Jamal.

‘Peaceful reconciliation'

"When we ask people, who do you blame?... we thought that the number-one culprit was going to be Israel because of the blockade. But most people cited Hamas corruption, more so than they cited the Israel blockade."

Jamal said, "For the average Palestinian in the West Bank or in Gaza [they say] ‘we have this [Israeli] occupation and then we have these Palestinian governments that are also authoritarian'. So a common phrase is we used to be occupied by one power, now we're occupied by two."

The latest Arab Barometer was undertaken in Gaza, where 399 people were surveyed, and the West Bank, where 790 were polled, from the end of September to October 6. Its findings were published in the journal Foreign Affairs.

Israel to release 50 women prisoners

The Israeli government has approved the inclusion of 50 women prisoners in the list of prisoners eligible for release as part of an agreement to extend a temporary truce with Hamas in Gaza, reported The Times of Israel. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made this announcement on X, stating, "The Government has approved the inclusion of 50 female prisoners in the list of prisoners eligible to be released in the event that a release of additional Israeli hostages is carried out." The government approved the list of these 50 female prisoners to secure the release of nearly 20 more Israelis held hostage by the Hamas terror group since October 7, reported The Times of Israel.

Limit civilian displacement: US tells Israel

The Biden administration has told Israel that it must work to avoid "significant further displacement" of Palestinian civilians in southern Gaza if it renews its ground campaign aimed at eradicating the Hamas, senior US officials said. The administration is seeking to avoid more large-scale civilian casualties or mass displacement like in the north.

67
Percentage of Gazans who voted against

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