New poll: 73% of Israelis support the hostage deal with Hamas

Despite the intense opposition to the new hostage and ceasefire deal by far-right-wing ministers in the government, the vast majority of Israelis support it.

Nearly three-out-of-four Israelis – 73% – say they support the agreement that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has crafted and accepted.

Only 19% opposed the deal.

Eight percent say they have no opinion.

This supermajority support represents rare unity among the Israeli people, given the deep political and social divisions of the past several years.

Going deeper into the poll reveals other interesting dynamics.

For example, 91% of those Israelis, who most fiercely and bitterly oppose Netanyahu, support the deal.

Yet only 52% – barely a majority – of Israelis who voted for Netanyahu or parties in his government coalition, support the deal.

Indeed, 37% of those Israelis who support the Netanyahu coalition are opposed.

MK Itamar Ben Gvir, the far-right National Security Minister, is threatening to pull his entire party which holds six Knesset seats out of the Netanyahu government and go into the opposition.

MK Betzalel Smotrich, the far-right-wing Finance Minister, is also threatening to quit the government and take his seven Knesset members with him.

Netanyahu is still trying to convince both to stay in the government but simply vote against the deal when it is presented to the government for a vote on Saturday nigh, after Shabbat is over.

But this new polling shows just what major political risks Netanyahu is taking to bring the hostages home.

If both Ben Gvir and Smotrich and their parties bolt, Netanyahu's government will fall.

His coalition currently has 68 seats out of the 120 in the Knesset.

The poll was first published by the Israeli Hebrew newspaper, Maariv.

It was first published in English by the Jerusalem Post.