Palestinian poll finds big drop in support for Oct 7 attack

A majority of Gazans believe Hamas' decision to launch the Oct. 7 attack on Israel was incorrect, according to a poll published on Tuesday pointing to a big drop in backing for the assault that prompted Israel's devastating Gaza offensive. The poll, conducted in early September by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), found that 57% of people surveyed in the Gaza Strip said the decision to launch the offensive was incorrect, while 39% said it was correct. PSR's previous poll, conducted in June, showed that 57% of respondents in Gaza thought the decision to be correct. PSR said it surveyed 1,200 people face-to-face, 790 of them in the West Bank and 410 in Gaza, with a 3.5% margin of error. PSR said the poll released on Tuesday marked the first time since Oct 7. that its findings had shown simultaneously in the West Bank and Gaza a significant drop in the favorability of the attack and in expectations that Hamas will win the current war. The poll showed a drop in the number of respondents in Gaza who said they support Hamas to 35% from 38%. But the terror group remained more popular than Fatah, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, in both in Gaza and the West Bank. 