JERUSALEM, Jan. 4 (Sputnik) - Netanyahu’s approval rating had been dropping throughout 2023, even before the October 7 Hamas attack; however, since the surprise attack, he has shed nearly half of his remaining support.

The vast majority of Israelis want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu out of office once the Palestine-Israel conflict is over. A new poll in Israeli media found that only 15% of Israelis continue to support the politician.

Netanyahu has promised to crush Hamas after the Palestinian organization carried out a surprise attack on October 7, resulting in an estimated 1,139 Israeli deaths and - according to Israeli numbers, around 240 individuals being taken hostage.

A retaliatory bombing and invading campaign undertaken by the Netanyahu government has to date killed 22,185 Palestinians, with two-thirds of the slain being women and children. The actions have been heavily criticized by human rights organizations, with many accusing Israel of war crimes, including ethnic cleansing and attempted genocide.

However, the lack of support for Netanyahu has not been reflected in a lack of support for his tactics.

According to a poll from the same institution in December, 56% of Israelis said that continuing the military campaign was the best way to secure the return of the prisoners held by Hamas, while only 24% said a prisoner swap would be preferred.

Even before the campaign, Netanyahu was facing dropping poll numbers among Israelis. Prior to the Hamas attack, widespread protests in Jerusalem, against judicial reforms pushed by Netanyahu were commonplace.

In July, media outlets reported his approval rating had fallen to 38% and estimated that if elections were held then, Netanyahu’s Likud party would lose between four and seven seats in the 120-seat Knesset. By early October, just days before the Hamas attack, Netanyahu's approval rating had dropped to just 28%.

On Sunday, Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reportedly refused to accompany Netanyahu to a news conference without giving a reason. Netanyahu had canceled a similar meeting earlier that week, and some outlets have speculated that may have been a contributing factor.

The poll from December found that 69% of Israelis want elections to be held as soon as the war is over. The more recent poll found that Benny Gantz, Netanyahu’s chief political opponent and current member of his war cabinet, received the most support from Israelis grabbing 23%. However, more Israelis, 30%, declined to name a preferred leader.

Netanyahu has said that Israel’s campaign will continue for months longer.

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