Likud Voters Shock: Majority Back Gaza Hostage Deal to End War
A new poll shows strong support among Likud voters, soldiers, and the broader Israeli public for a hostage deal with Hamas to end the Gaza war, with many believing political motives drive the conflict’s management. Declining motivation among soldiers and widespread calls for a deal highlight growing public and military fatigue with the ongoing campaign.
A recent survey conducted by AGAM LABS reveals significant support among Israeli voters and soldiers for a hostage deal with Hamas that would end the ongoing war in Gaza. Among Likud voters, 54.7% back a comprehensive agreement to secure the release of all hostages in exchange for halting the conflict. Surprisingly, nearly a third of voters from the Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties, 28.4%, also support such a deal, despite their traditionally hawkish stance. Among soldiers serving in regular and reserve units, a striking 73.9% favour ending the war through a hostage deal, while only 26.1% advocate continuing the fight, even at the risk of endangering the hostages’ lives.
The poll, conducted between August 15-20, 2025, highlights broad public support for prioritizing the hostages’ release. Overall, 73.79% of Israelis support a deal, with 68.3% of Jewish respondents and 98.1% of Arab respondents in favour, compared to 26.21% who prefer continued fighting. Support for the deal varies across party lines: 40.8% of United Torah Judaism voters, 43.2% of Shas voters, 58.8% of Jewish Home voters, 79.1% of Yisrael Beiteinu voters, 91.7% of National Unity voters, 92.4% of Yesh Atid voters, 95.7% of Meretz voters, and 96.4% of Labor voters back the agreement.
The survey also exposes growing frustration with the war’s management. Two-thirds of Israelis, and 64% of serving soldiers, believe political considerations within the government influence the war’s conduct, rather than national interest. Additionally, 40% of regular and reserve soldiers report a decline in motivation to serve in the Gaza campaign, compared to 13% who say their motivation has increased, with the remainder noting no change. These findings align with earlier polls, such as one from the Israel Democracy Institute in January 2025, showing 57.5% of Israelis favouring a war-ending deal, reflecting public exhaustion after nearly two years of conflict since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, which killed 1,200 and saw 251 abducted.