Benny Gantz's National Unity party continues to strengthen, gaining two seats to reach a total of 27, according to a survey published on Friday in Maariv.
Conversely, Likud drops by two seats, falling to 20. In this current survey, Meretz still does not pass the electoral threshold, which can be attributed to the rise of the Labor Party following Yair Golan's election as its leader, bringing it to 6 seats.
As a result, the Netanyahu-supporting bloc now appears to hold 51 seats, while the opposition parties, excluding the Arab parties, have 64 seats.
Regarding suitability for the role of Prime Minister, the gap between Minister Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widening, with Gantz receiving 42% support compared to Netanyahu's 34%.
Two weeks ago, after the release of a video showing the kidnapped observers, there was a tendency among the Israeli public to support continuing military operations in the Gaza Strip to retrieve the hostages (43%) rather than agreeing to a deal under Hamas terms (39%).
Deal over damaging Hamas
According to the survey conducted at the end of a week in which the deaths of four hostages were confirmed by the IDF, there appears to be a shift in public opinion. Approximately half of the respondents (47%) now say Israel should proceed with the proposed deal, compared to 37% who still support military action.
A large majority of the Israeli public, about 62%, supports Israel initiating a full-scale war with Hezbollah in light of the events in the north. Only 18% oppose this, and another 20% are unsure. This support is not only prevalent on the right (with an overwhelming majority of 84%) but also among center-left party voters, with a majority of 56% backing this step.