A poll conducted by the Maariv newspaper revealed that nearly half of Israelis, especially supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, believe there was an "internal treason" plot on October 7.
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40% of respondents said such an event had occurred, compared to 44% who denied it, and 16% who expressed uncertainty, in a sharp division that reflects the state of political polarization in the country.
The poll revealed a clear partisan divide, with 61% of coalition voters believing there was "internal treason," while 64% of opposition voters rejected this claim.
The results showed that the alliance of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party with Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut party pushed them past the threshold by five seats, and Winter’s People of Israel party also crossed the threshold by four seats, bringing Netanyahu’s coalition to 51 seats for the first time since May, while the opposition fell to 57 seats.
In a poll on the suitability of the prime ministership, the gap between Gadi Eisenkot and Netanyahu narrowed, with the former receiving 48% support compared to 39% for the latter. Naftali Bennett surpassed Netanyahu with 43% compared to 39%, and Avigdor Lieberman trailed Netanyahu slightly with 39% compared to 42%. Meanwhile, a majority of 55% expressed their fear of a new war breaking out with Iran, while 39% were not worried about this possibility.
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The Israeli army announces the assassination of the commander of Hamas' elite unit
The Israeli army and the Shin Bet security service announced the assassination of Hamas leader Muhammad al-Qadi, who served as commander of an elite unit in the movement's military wing, in an airstrike in Khan Yunis.
The Israeli army accused the judge of leading the raid on the Sofa military site during the October 7 attacks, participating in the detention of hostages held by Hamas in the Rafah area throughout the war, and recently supervising training for members of the movement and working to rebuild its capabilities, in a systematic violation of the ceasefire agreement, according to the Israeli narrative.
The Israeli army confirmed that the leader was planning to carry out attacks against Israeli forces and civilians, which necessitated targeting him to remove the threat he posed, noting that its forces deployed in the area under the command of the Southern Command will continue their operations to remove any immediate threats, within the framework of existing agreements.
