“Among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Hamas's popularity has risen again. A narrow majority still supports Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. However, expectations of a political victory for Hamas in the Gaza war are dwindling. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip between October 22 and 25, 2025.
For the sixth time since the Islamist Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 Israelis and resulted in the abduction of around 250 hostages, the PSR institute surveyed Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip about their attitudes.
According to the survey, about half of the Palestinians (53 percent) stated that attacking Israel was the right decision.
This opinion is shared by 59 percent in the West Bank and 44 percent in the Gaza Strip. In the survey from May 2025, the average approval rating was 50 percent, in September 2024 it was 54 percent, in June 2024 it was 67 percent, and in March 2024 it was 71 percent.
It is important to note, emphasizes the head of the PSR, Khalil Shikaki, that support for the October 7 attack does not necessarily mean support for Hamas, nor does it constitute support for murders or atrocities against civilians. According to the results, the majority of respondents, 86 percent, still deny that Hamas committed atrocities against Israeli civilians.
The majority wants Abbas to resign.
When asked which political party they support, the largest proportion of respondents chose Hamas (35 percent), followed by Fatah (24 percent). In In the Gaza Strip, support for Hamas currently stands at 41 percent; in May, it was 37 percent. Fatah received 29 percent, compared to 25 percent five months ago. In the West Bank, support for Hamas is currently 32 percent, up from 29 percent five months ago. Support for Fatah is 20 percent, a slight increase from 18 percent five months ago.
A clear majority wants Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to resign because they are dissatisfied with his leadership. According to the survey, 80 percent of Palestinians (92 percent in the West Bank and 61 percent in the Gaza Strip) believe there is corruption in the institutions of the Palestinian Authority. Two-thirds of Palestinians want democratic elections.
Many Palestinians now reject the two-state solution as a concept (53 percent). However, when asked about the specific advantages it would entail, support is high.
More Palestinians now believe that a two-state solution is possible. Five months ago, 64 percent of respondents considered a two-state solution impossible. Now, that figure is 56 percent. According to the survey, those who doubt the two-state solution do so because of Israeli settlement policy, which they believe makes a two-state solution unfeasible.
Skepticism towards the Trump plan
The Palestinians surveyed have an ambivalent attitude towards US President Donald Trump's plan: 47 percent approve of it, while 49 percent reject it. In the Gaza Strip, around 60 percent support the plan, while the same percentage in the West Bank rejects it.
For the survey, the plan was outlined to the respondents as follows: It envisions an end to the war against Gaza, as well as the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. It also includes a commitment to refrain from the forced relocation of Gaza residents and provides for humanitarian aid. The plan includes humanitarian aid deliveries, the gradual withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip, the disarmament of Hamas, a reform of the Palestinian Authority, and the initiation of a political process to establish a Palestinian state.
However, many Palestinians consider the last point, the establishment of a Palestinian state, unlikely. A majority of 70 percent do not believe that there will be a Palestinian state in the next five years. Around 60 percent of Palestinians doubt that the plan will bring a lasting end to the war in Gaza.
The Trump plan also calls for disarming the Islamist group Hamas. A majority of 69 percent (87 percent in the West Bank and 55 percent in the Gaza Strip) oppose this; only 29 percent support disarmament.
For the most recent PSR survey, Shikaki and his team interviewed 1,200 adults in person – 760 in the West Bank and 440 in the Gaza Strip. The survey was conducted in person in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip using tablets or smartphones. After each interview is completed, the results are automatically sent to the PSR server. "There is no way to intercept or manipulate the collected data," the PSR writes.
The survey also took place under difficult conditions: the living conditions of the Palestinians, especially in the Gaza Strip, are catastrophic, there is no freedom of expression, and the fear of reprisals is great.” [1]
1. Die Hamas bleibt unter Palästinensern stärkste Kraft: Eine Umfrage zeigt, dass die Zustimmung zu der Terrororganisation gestiegen ist / Von Majd El-Safadi. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Frankfurt. 30 Oct 2025: 5. Von Majd El-Safadi
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