Almost three quarters of Palestinians approve of Oct 7 attack

Almost three in four Palestinians believe the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel was correct, and more support Hamas than before the attack, a survey from the Palestinian Center for Policy Survey and Research (PCPSR) has found.

Seventy-two percent of respondents said they believed the Hamas decision to launch the cross-border rampage in southern Israel was "correct" given its outcome so far, while 22% said it was "incorrect".

The PCPSR found that, compared to pre-war polling, support for Hamas had risen in Gaza and more than tripled in the West Bank.

Fifty-two percent of Gazans and 85% of West Bank respondents – or 72% of Palestinian respondents overall – voiced satisfaction with the role of Hamas in the war. Only 11% of Palestinians voiced satisfaction with PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

The widespread approval came in spite of the mass casualties from the resulting Israel-Hamas war. The Gazan health ministry this week published the names of 34,344 Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks in the territory, including 169 babies.

The document does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but includes 169 babies, 11,355 children and 2,955 people aged 60 or older.

Israeli officials question the death toll given by the authorities in Gaza, arguing that because Hamas controls the government there, Gaza’s health officials cannot provide reliable figures.

The poll of Palestinians was conducted in concert with a poll of Israelis by the International Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation at Tel Aviv University.