An opinion poll conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem showed a sharp increase in the rate of Israelis who support an agreement with Hamas to release Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

The university said in a statement on Wednesday that about half of the 3,227 survey participants support the deal, which also includes the release of Palestinian prisoners and an end to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, while only 20 percent of participants opposed it.

The poll, conducted between March 4 and 11, shows a significant shift compared to a previous poll conducted by the same university in mid-February, when 45 percent of respondents rejected such a deal, and only 33 percent supported it.

The researchers attributed this shift to the previous survey being conducted shortly after the Israeli army released two hostages in Rafah, which raised hopes on the Israeli street that more would be released.