TEHRAN - As the Israeli regime continues to mount its devastating war against civilians in Gaza, Hamas has seen its popularity increase among the starving population of the coastal enclave and the occupied West Bank. 

The findings of the survey in which interviews with the residents were conducted face-to-face have been published by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, which is funded by the European Union.

In what will be seen as a major blow to the regime and its staunchest allies, the rise in Palestinian support for Hamas has come during the Israeli bombing campaign against Gazan civilians, according to the new study that shows higher approval levels in the Gaza Strip, which the regime has reduced to rubble with its relentless attacks.

The survey reveals that a majority of the 1,231 adults polled are satisfied only with the performance of Hamas, its leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh.

The report also shows that support for Hamas has more than tripled in the occupied West Bank compared to three months ago.  

Support for armed struggle rises ten percentage points compared to three months ago, with more than 60% saying it is the best means of ending the Israeli occupation. In the West Bank, that number rises further to almost 70%. 

The lengthy research was carried out alongside the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a German political party. 

72% of Palestinians think Hamas will succeed in returning to rule over the Gaza Strip after the war despite the Israeli regime's declared objective of eradicating the organization. 

The study indicates that the majority of Palestinians believe that the Israeli military will not succeed in eradicating Hamas, or in causing a second Palestinian Nakba, or in expelling the residents of the Gaza Strip. 

A large majority of Palestinians believe that Hamas will emerge victorious from the Israeli war on Gaza. A majority also says Hamas will resume control over the Gaza Strip after the war. 

Satisfaction with Palestinian parties and leaders drops significantly when asked about the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah. 

The results show the Palestinians think PA President Mahmoud Abbas should resign as 60% said the Palestinian Authority should be disbanded, the highest level that the research center has found to date. 

In the West Bank, the demand for Abbas's resignation is rising even higher to around 90 percent.

If new presidential elections were held today with only two candidates involved, Mahmoud Abbas and Ismail Haniyeh, Abbas would receive 16% of the vote and Haniyeh 78%.

If new presidential elections were held today with only two candidates involved, Mahmoud Abbas and Ismail Haniyeh, Abbas would receive 16% of the vote and Haniyeh 78%.

In the West Bank, Abbas receives 10% and Haniyeh 82%.

The Palestinian center asked the respondents to speculate about the party that will be in control of the Gaza Strip in the day after the end of the current war. 

The vast majority, almost two-thirds, said it would be Hamas; 11% selected a PA national unity government but without President Abbas; 3% selected one or more Arab countries; 2% selected a national unity government under Abbas's leadership; and only 1% selected the UN.

Trust in the PA as a whole is wading, as demand for its dissolution rises, yet the most popular figure in the West Bank remains Marwan Barghouti, a Fatah leader imprisoned by the regime. 
Barghouti has been jailed since 2002 for his roles in Palestinian uprisings.
Asked about its assessment of the regime's objectives in its current war, the majority replied that it is to destroy the Gaza Strip and kill or expel its population.

When asked if Israel will succeed in causing a second Nakba for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as some Israeli ministers have called for, 73% said it will not. 

But the vast majority (70%) say the Israeli regime will fail in achieving its goal in eradicating Hamas and the resistance while only 8% think it will succeed, and 21% think it will only weaken Hamas and the resistance.

Residents in the West Bank are more certain than Gazans that the regime will fail. Just 1% of West Bank residents think the Israeli war on Gaza will succeed in eradicating Hamas. 

Similarly, the overwhelming majority, 85%, thinks that the occupying regime will not succeed in expelling Gazans out of the Strip. 

When asked about the best way to end the occupation and establish an independent state, 63% of respondents said armed struggle in comparison to 20% who said negotiations. 

Moreover, a majority in the West Bank believes that the formation of armed groups in communities subject to settler attacks is the most effective means of combating settler terrorism against towns and villages. 

When asked to speculate about Hamas’ reasons for waging Operation al-Aqsa Storm, the response was Israeli raids on al-Aqsa Mosque and to release Palestinian prisoners, as Hamas had stated. 

85% say they did not see Israeli videos, published by Western news outlets, showing alleged violent acts committed by Hamas against Israeli settler civilians, such as the killing of women and children in their homes. 

When asked if Hamas did commit such acts, the overwhelming majority said no, it did not, and only 1% in the West Bank said it did.

It is important to note that experts believe the videos Israel has shown to some international media outlets have been carefully manipulated and mostly fake Israeli propaganda to justify the regime's war on Gaza as well as its huge intelligence and security failure on October 7. 

This is whilst Israeli media outlets have interviewed survivors of Operation al-Aqsa Storm, who have contradicted the validity of the videos. 

The findings indicate that the Palestinians are strongly questioning the moral commitment of the U.S. and other Western European countries to international humanitarian law. They show widespread conviction that the positions of the U.S. and the major Western powers show total disregard for international humanitarian law. 

All or most Palestinians say they are dissatisfied with the positions of the United States, Germany, Britain, and France. 

Almost two-thirds of Palestinians are opposed to the participation of the PA in meetings with the U.S., with the involvement of Arab countries such as Jordan and Egypt, to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip after the Israeli war ends. 

In light of the increase in settler terrorist attacks against Palestinian towns and villages, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research again asked West Bank residents what means are most effective in combating this terrorism. The majority chose the formation of armed groups by Palestinian residents of the targeted areas to protect their land.

For the Arab/regional actors, the highest level of satisfaction went to Yemen 80%, followed by Qatar, Hezbollah, Iran and Turkey. Other regional countries received lower percentage points.

For the non-regional international actors, the highest level of satisfaction among Palestinians went to Russia, followed by China.
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