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** Palestinians Still Prefer Hamas and 'Armed Struggle' Against Israel ([link removed])
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by Khaled Abu Toameh • October 30, 2025 at 5:00 am
* These [Palestinian poll] findings contradict claims by some Western media outlets that a growing number of Palestinians were disillusioned with Hamas because of the death and destruction it has brought on its people as a result of its October 7 attack.
* "The conclusion from these [Palestinian] numbers is that the past two years have led to greater support for Hamas rather than the opposite," according to the poll.
* Asked if Hamas had committed the atrocities seen in the videos shown by international media displaying atrocities committed by Hamas members against Israeli civilians, 86% said the terror group did not commit such atrocities. Only 10% said Hamas did commit them.
* A majority of Palestinians, the poll showed, are extremely supportive of Iran, Hezbollah, Qatar and the Houthi militia in Yemen, a terror group that fired dozens of missiles and suicide drones at Israel during the war.
* If elections for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority (PA) were held today, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal would win 63% of the votes, as opposed to 27% for incumbent PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
* According to the poll, dissatisfaction with Abbas stands at 75%, while 80% want him to resign.
* If parliamentary elections were held today, 44% of the Palestinians say they will vote for Hamas, 30% for Fatah, and 10% for third parties.
* Also unexpected is the ongoing Palestinian support for the "armed struggle" (terrorism) against Israel.
* The results of the poll also show the challenges facing the implementation of the Trump plan, especially disarming Hamas and deradicalizing Palestinian society. Most Palestinians are openly opposed to disarming Hamas – a situation that will make it effectively impossible for any Arab or foreign party to confiscate the terror group's weapons by force.
* Any Palestinian or Arab leader who sees that most Palestinians oppose the disarmament of Hamas will think twice before he undertakes such a mission: he would not want to act against the wishes of the Arab street -- such a move would be regarded as treason.
* As for deradicalization, it is clear from the poll that Palestinians are moving in the opposite direction.
* Many Palestinians are afraid to speak out for fear of being labeled as traitors or collaborators with Israel. We have seen how Palestinians who challenged Hamas were tortured and executed in public squares in the Gaza Strip as soon as the ceasefire went into effect.
* Radical change in Palestinian society will come only when Palestinians rise up against destructive leaders who, over the past few decades, have been dragging them from one disaster to another.

A recent poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research shows that more than half of Palestinians continue to support the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israelis and foreign nationals on October 7, 2023, and a majority of Palestinians support Iran, Hezbollah, Qatar and Yemen's Houthis. Pictured: Palestinians rally in support of Hamas on December 15, 2023 in Nablus. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Those who thought that Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the ensuing war in the Gaza Strip have made Palestinians change their minds about the terror group are in for a rude awakening.

More than half of Palestinians continue to support the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israelis and foreign nationals on October 7. Moreover, the terror group remains popular among a large number of Palestinians. Support for Hamas means support for the destruction of Israel through Jihad (holy war).

A poll published on October 28 by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research showed that 53% of the Palestinians think that Hamas's decision to launch the October 7 attack was "correct." A majority of 54% of Palestinians blame Israel for the current suffering of Gazans, while 24% blame the US. Only 14% blame Hamas.

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