Oct. 7-like invasion could happen again, 74% of Israelis say

Vast majority of Israelis believe that another Oct. 7-style invasion and massacre could happen, highlighting sense of insecurity after more than two and a half years of war.

By World Israel News Staff

Roughly three out of every four Israelis believe that their country could face another security failure on the scale of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led invasion, according to a Channel 12 poll published on Friday night.

The survey, broadcast by Channel 12’s “Ulpan Shishi” program to mark 1,000 days since the Oct. 7 massacre, found that 74% of respondents said they feared that “another debacle like October 7 could take place in the future.”

Twenty percent said they did not fear such a scenario, and 6% said they did not know.

The poll underscored the lingering public anxiety over Israel’s security posture nearly three years after thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and abducting 251 others to the Gaza Strip.

The public was divided over whether Israel’s security situation had improved since the attack.

Thirty-three percent of respondents said the situation had improved, 33% said it had worsened, 27% said it had not changed, and 7% said they did not know.

Channel 12 reported that the fear of a future Oct. 7-style failure cut across political lines. Among voters who supported coalition parties in the last election, 66% said they were worried that a similar debacle could happen again.

The survey also found broad support for a formal state commission of inquiry into the failures that led to the attack.

Asked whether they supported an investigation by a statutory state commission of inquiry, whose members would be appointed by the Supreme Court president, 66% said yes, 25% said no, and 9% said they did not know.

The new Channel 12 poll also reflected broader political pressure on the government. According to the survey, 53% of respondents said the Oct. 7 failure would influence how they vote in the next election. The poll also found that 55% preferred someone other than Netanyahu as prime minister, while 34% preferred Netanyahu.

Channel 12 said the survey was conducted by the Midgam polling company in cooperation with iPanel. The network did not publish a sample size or margin of error.