The Israeli public is divided over the outcomes of the recent wars with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, according to a recent Agam Institute study, which noted additional Israeli concerns about morale, international relations, and political leadership in the country.
A plurality of Israelis view Israel as stronger than before the war, though almost a third of respondents believe the country has been weakened as a result of the roughly five-week-long conflict, which is on pause as negotiations for a truce continue.
Two-thirds of Israelis feel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s performance during the war has been disappointing, with 36% saying that their opinion of him has declined as a result. Additionally, his political opponents, such as Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot, are preferred by a majority of respondents.
More than 40% of respondents oppose the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, instituted on April 16 after pressure from US President Donald Trump, and Jewish respondents were more likely to do so. Only 15% percent of Jewish participants said they supported the ceasefire. Notably, only 22% of participants across Israeli society supported it.
Although many Israelis oppose the ceasefire, almost 60% of respondents support direct talks and a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon. Israeli and Lebanese diplomats held talks in Washington several weeks ago in what marked a historical first for Lebanon, which doesn’t recognize Israel.
'Low likelihood' of long-term peace
On April 23, a second meeting attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio led to an extension of the ceasefire. However, almost 45% of respondents said a long-term or peace agreement had a “low likelihood” of materializing in the coming years.
Pivoting to Gaza, 41% of all respondents support returning to intensive fighting with Hamas in Gaza, even at the cost of American support. Since the October 2025 ceasefire and final hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, little progress has been made in terms of Hamas’s disarmament.
High national support for a return to fighting could signal that Israelis are running out of patience with the terrorist group, and only 30% of Israelis are willing to accept a permanent ceasefire without disarmament. Still, almost three-fifths of respondents do not believe that Hamas can be disarmed in the coming years.
The study, conducted last week with a sample of 1,325 Israelis, was carried out by Dr. Nimrod Nir and Dr. Gayil Talshir of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The results of the survey show that about half of Israelis believe Iran is weaker now than before the war, while 15% see Iran as stronger than before.