More Israelis believe Hamas emerged victorious in Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip than think that Israel did, according to a poll published Wednesday.
The poll of 512 respondents, a representative sample of the adult Jewish Israeli population, was taken Monday by respected pollster Mina Tzemach. It was sponsored by strategist Roni Rimon, who worked in the past for Likud and now insists he initiated it on his own out of his own curiosity.
When asked about the results of the operation, only 2.7 percent said it was a big success for Israel and 18.6% said the results for Israel were good for a total of 21.4 percent.
By contrast, 10.4% called the operation in the Gaza Strip a big success for Hamas and 17.8% said the results for Hamas were good for a total of 28%.
Forty-five and a half percent said the results were moderate for both sides and 5.1 percent said they did not know.
A poll sponsored by Rimon that asked the same question on July 24 found different numbers. At the time, more Israelis thought the results were more positive for Israel than Hamas, 24.8 to 23.6 percent.
“When the IDF entered Gaza with ground forces, there were expectations that the Hamas would crawl and beg for a cease-fire,” Rimon said. “Because the expectations were in the sky and were not met, a large portion of the nation was disappointed.”