Future in Gaza: Why the majority of the Palestinians want to stay

Future in Gaza: Why the majority of the Palestinians want to stay

Gaza, Palästinensische Gebiete - Khalil Shikaki, a renowned opinion researcher and director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah, presented alarming knowledge about the position of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the continued conflict with Israel. Despite the devastating war, which has raged since October and has already cost life over 39,000 Palestinians, surveys show that a majority of Gazans are not willing to leave their homes. "I suspect that very few families would still be willing to leave Gaza in the long run," said Shikaki in an interview with the "Welt", such as kathpress.at . He emphasizes that women and the elderly in particular are very interested in staying in Gaza, while younger men often temporarily leave the country to earn money for their families.

Palestinian support for Hamas and the resistance

The current survey also shows that more than 60% of Gazans lost family members during the war. Despite the suffering caused by the conflict, about two thirds of the respondents support the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7th. In addition, almost 50% of the respondents believe that Hamas will regain control over the Gaza Strip and that armed resistance is the most effective way to end the Israeli occupation. Shikaki explains that the backing for Hamas is created by deeply rooted identification with their values ​​and belief in resistance to the crew, which became clear in the survey, as it npr.org

Although interesting tendencies can be observed - including the growing support for a technocratic transitional government - the radical Hamas remains an influential force within Palestinian society, even if the support is not as strong as is often assumed. Around 40% of the Palestinians could imagine a government under Hamas, while 60% are not behind it. These surveys show not only the complexity of public opinion in Gaza, but also the challenges with which the Palestinians are faced with, while they live in a conflict that has long been in sight.