Palestinian Support for Hamas Remains High » The American Spectator | USA News and PoliticsThe American Spectator

A recent poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) from May 1-4, 2025, highlights the reality of Palestinian public opinion amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, now 19 months in from its start with the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

The survey, covering 1,270 respondents (830 in the West Bank, 440 in Gaza) with a margin of error of ±3.5 percent, reveals strong support for Hamas, the October 7 attack, and “armed struggle.” Most Palestinians oppose Hamas’s disarmament, do not believe Hamas committed atrocities on Oct. 7, and believe the decision to attack Israel that day was “correct.”

This poll challenges the dubious claim that all Palestinian civilians are innocent. Parents who teach their children it is okay to kill Jews are complicit with the terrorist holding a gun. And indeed, many of these children did grow up to become terrorists. This was proven on October 7, 2023, when a terrorist called his parents, bragging he had killed Jews and knowing he would receive his family’s support.

And this support has not changed drastically. Palestinian civilian support for Hamas’s October 7 attack still stands at a disturbing 50 percent and it was even higher in the past — 54 percent in September 2024 and 71 percent in March 2024. In Gaza, 38 percent of “innocent” Palestinians still view the attack as “correct,” compared to 59 percent in the West Bank. Notably, 87 percent of respondents deny Hamas committed atrocities against Israeli civilians, despite video evidence.

According to the poll, most Gazans (51 percent) blame Israel for their suffering, followed by the U.S. (28 percent), while only 12 percent primarily blame Hamas. Although Hamas launched a major war against Israel, Hamas’s popularity still stands at 32 percent (it was 36 percent seven months ago) and even remains higher than Fatah’s (21 percent), the more “moderate” of the two parties.

In hypothetical legislative elections, Hamas would garner 43 percent of the vote among participants, while Fatah holds steady at 28 percent. In Gaza, Hamas’s support is stronger (49 percent) than in the West Bank (38 percent). Marwan Barghouti, a terrorist in Israeli prison, remains the most popular leader, securing 50 percent of voters in a presidential race against Hamas’s Khaled Mashal (35 percent) and Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (11 percent).

The poll reveals complex sentiments in Gaza. Nearly half (48 percent) of Gazans support recent anti-Hamas demonstrations demanding the group relinquish control, though 54 percent believe these protests are driven by “external hands.” Opposition to disarming Hamas is strong, with 85 percent in the West Bank and 64 percent in Gaza rejecting it as a condition to end the war. Similarly, 65 percent oppose expelling Hamas’s military leaders.

The question is, why? Innocent people are not supposed to support terrorists. Why do the Palestinians?

Interestingly, 43 percent of Gazans express willingness to emigrate postwar, and 49 percent would apply to Israel for emigration assistance, despite Egypt and Jordan rejecting U.S.-backed displacement proposals.

Satisfaction with Hamas’s performance still stands at an unbelievable 57 percent (43 percent in Gaza, 67 percent in the West Bank), outpacing the PA (23 percent), Fatah (24 percent), and Abbas (15 percent). Among regional actors, although Yemen’s Houthis continue to indiscriminately attack Israel’s civilians — Arab and Jew alike — by firing ballistic missiles, the Palestinians highly approve of their attacks (74 percent), followed by Qatar (45 percent) and Hezbollah (43 percent).

Additionally, the United States, which has worked around the clock to get Palestinians humanitarian aid, received a disturbingly low approval rating of just 3 percent. Shockingly, Palestinians gave China (26 percent) and Russia (21 percent) a much higher approval rating.

Palestinians living in the West Bank (88 percent) say they would rather remain rather than flee to Jordan. What this means is that even with fears of Israeli counter-terrorism operations, Palestinians understand life is better on the Israeli side of the Jordan River.

With regard to the two-state solution, support remains stable at 40 percent, rising to 61 percent when framed as a Palestinian state on 1967 borders. Support for armed struggle is an incredible 41 percent.

Looking at these numbers, it is difficult to make the case that the Palestinian people are a peace-loving nation. According to the data revealed by this poll, Palestinians support Hamas, want the terrorist group to remain armed, and want to kick the Jewish people out of the Old City of Jerusalem and bar them from the Western Wall.

This is not peace. This is bullying and a desire to erase the Jewish people’s connection to their ancestral homeland, while supporting a Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group responsible for the destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza and the deaths of thousands.

Of course there are many innocent peace-loving Palestinians in Gaza, but they appear to be outnumbered. Just look at the data.

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