An Israeli public opinion poll showed on Friday that 42% of Israelis believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the most suitable person to head the government, compared to 40% who support former Minister Benny Gantz for the same position, in Netanyahu's first victory over Gantz since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza.

A poll published by Maariv newspaper showed that "if elections were held today, the Likud party would win 22 seats in the 120-seat Knesset."

In contrast, the opposition National Camp, headed by former minister Benny Gantz, will win 20 seats, while the right-wing opposition party Yisrael Beiteinu, headed by Avigdor Lieberman, will win 15 seats, and the Yesh Atid party, headed by opposition leader Yair Lapid, will win 13 seats, according to the poll results.

This is the first time since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, that the Likud has occupied the first place among the parties, after it had been led until today by the National Camp Party.

However, "neither Netanyahu's camp nor the opposition camp will be able to form a government if elections are held today, as Netanyahu's camp will get 53 seats, while the opposition camp will get 57 seats, and the Arab parties will get 10 seats," according to the newspaper.

To form a government, it is necessary to obtain the confidence of at least 61 members of parliament, and there are no elections on the horizon due to Netanyahu’s refusal to hold elections during the war.

The regional escalation also seems to have increased Netanyahu's popularity, as the poll indicated that 42% of Israelis believe that Netanyahu is the most suitable to head the government, compared to 40% who said that Gantz is the most suitable for the same position, while 18% did not specify a specific answer.

Maariv reported that the opinion poll was conducted by the Lazar Institute (private), and included a random sample of 501 Israelis with a margin of error of 4.4 percent.

Israel, the occupying power, continues its war of extermination on the Gaza Strip, which has left more than 131,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, ignoring the UN Security Council resolution to stop it immediately, and the orders of the International Court of Justice to take measures to prevent acts of genocide and to improve the humanitarian situation in the Strip.