Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, the Institute for National Security Studies has been regularly conducting public opinion surveys to assess attitudes toward key national security issues, national resilience, and public trust.[1]
The IDF and the military echelon continue to enjoy high levels of public trust, while trust in the political echelon remains low.
A large majority supports an agreement to end the war in Gaza, but most of the public is skeptical that it will lead to many years of quiet.
With the end of the war, the public supports establishing a state commission of inquiry and holding early elections.
Trust in Leaders and Institutions
Key Findings:
The Military Echelon
A majority of the Israeli public, at 78%, expresses high trust in the IDF, showing no significant change compared to the last three months (75%–77%), since peaking at 83% during the war against Iran (Operation Rising Lion) in June 2025. Among the Jewish public, trust in the IDF remains very high at 90% in this survey, compared to 86% previously, while among the Arab public it remains very low at 32%.
A majority of the public also has high trust in the Air Force—88% among Jews and 34% among Arabs—with no significant change from the August survey. This represents a slight decline from the peak during Operation Rising Lion (83% overall; 93% among Jews; 42% among Arabs in June 2025).
A majority of the public expresses high trust in the Military Intelligence Directorate—64% overall; 72% among Jews and 30% among Arabs—a significant decline compared to June, during Operation Rising Lion (74% overall; 83% among Jews; 39% among Arabs).
A majority of the public, at 57%, has high trust in the IDF Spokesperson’s reports, while 24% express moderate trust, and 16% have low trust. The data has remained nearly unchanged over the past three months (56–57%), following the peak of 67.5% recorded during Operation Rising Lion in June 2025.
There has been a slight increase in trust toward IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, rising from 58% in September to 63% in October. The increase stems mainly from the Jewish public (from 68% to 75%), while trust among the Arab public remains very low and largely unchanged (21%).
The Political Echelon
Only 27% of Israelis express high trust in the Israeli government (32% among Jews and only 8% among Arabs), compared to 72% whose trust is low. Trust in the government remains unchanged from the previous month but is slightly higher than in July–August when it was 23%. Among coalition voters, 63% express high trust in the government, compared to only 5% among opposition voters.
Only 33% of the public has high trust in the prime minister (39% among Jews and 7% among Arabs), compared to 66% who express low trust. Here too, there has been no change since Operation Rising Lion in June. Among coalition voters, 76% express high trust in the prime minister, compared to just 6% among opposition voters.
Ceasefire Agreement in Gaza
Key Findings:
An overwhelming majority of the Israeli public supports an agreement to end the war in Gaza: 76% in favor, 11% opposed, and 13% responded “Don’t know.” Among the Jewish public, support stands at 73%, compared to 88% among the Arab public. Notably, a majority of coalition voters (57%) support the agreement, compared to 91% among opposition voters.
Half of the Israeli public believes that neither side won the war. Another 30% of the public thinks Israel won, 11% believes Hamas won, and 3% thinks that both sides won to an equal degree.
The Israeli public is divided over the achievement of the war’s objectives: 44% of the public believes that the war’s goals were achieved (3% “completely,” 41% “to a great extent”), compared to 46% of the public who thinks otherwise (34% “to a small extent,” 12% “not at all”).
Public satisfaction with Israel’s operational achievements in Gaza is limited: 38% of the public is satisfied with Israel’s operational achievements in Gaza (“to a great or very great extent”), 33% is moderately satisfied, and 19% has low or very low satisfaction.
Only 26% of the public believes that the ceasefire agreement will lead to many years of security calm (“to a great or very great extent”), while a majority, at 60%, thinks it will lead to little or no long-term calm.
Half of the public thinks that an event similar to October 7 could occur again from the Gaza border in the coming years, while 37% considers such a scenario unlikely.
Elections and a State Commission of Inquiry
Key Findings:
About three out of four Israelis (74%) support establishing a state commission of inquiry, compared to only 17% who oppose it. Support is broad even among coalition voters (52%), but particularly high among opposition voters (92%).
A majority of the Israeli public (53%) believes that elections should be moved up following the end of the war, while 39% thinks the war’s conclusion should not affect the election timetable. Support for early elections is very low among coalition voters (16%) and much higher among opposition voters (78%).
Military Service
Key Findings:
Only 23% of the Israeli public believes that the defense minister’s decision to freeze IDF appointments was made for professional reasons (“to a great or very great extent”), compared to 55% of the public who thinks it was done “to a small or very small extent.” 22% responded “Don’t know.”
A majority of the public (68%) oppose legislation that would exempt most of the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) public from military service (“strongly oppose” or “somewhat oppose”), compared to 20% who support it (“strongly support” or “somewhat support”) Only 12% responded “Don’t know.”
Establishment of a Palestinian State
Key Findings:
A majority of Israelis (57%) oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state under any circumstances, compared to 30% who support it “under certain conditions,” and 14% who responded, “Don’t know.” Among the Jewish public, 68% oppose a Palestinian state under any circumstances, and only 19% support it. Among the Arab public, 70% support the establishment of a Palestinian state, and only 13% oppose it.
Iran
Key Findings:
There is high concern about the possibility of another confrontation with Iran in the near future: 62% of the public are very or somewhat concerned, compared to 33% who are not very or not at all concerned.
Israel–United States Relations
Key Findings:
Half of the Israeli public believes that US President Donald Trump supports Israel only when it serves his own interests. Only 34% thinks Trump is strongly committed to Israel’s security, while 11% views him as an unpredictable leader who is difficult to rely on.
The Resilience of Israeli Society
Key Findings:
The Israeli public believes that Israel faces many urgent challenges. When asked, “What do you think is Israel’s most urgent task the day after the ceasefire?” 29% answered “Healing and unifying Israeli society.” 10% said “Restoring Israel’s international standing.” 9% answered “Readiness for renewed fighting or other security developments.” 4% said “Preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.” Another 40% responded “All tasks are equally urgent.”
Some 39% believes that the resilience of Israeli society has weakened compared to before the war, 33% thinks it has strengthened, and 20% believes it has remained unchanged.
A majority of the public, at 60%, is very concerned about Israel’s social situation after the war, 25% is moderately concerned, and 11% is slightly or not concerned at all.
A majority of the public, at 66%, is optimistic about Israeli society’s ability to recover and grow after the crisis (“somewhat optimistic” or “very optimistic”), compared to 28% of the public who feels pessimistic (“somewhat pessimistic” or “very pessimistic”).
Only 37% of the public reports a high or very high sense of personal security, 43% claims a moderate sense, and 19% reports a low or very low sense of security. This marks an increase in personal security compared to the previous month—before the Gaza ceasefire—when only 29% reported a high or very high sense of personal security.
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[1] The survey was conducted between October 9–13, 2025, under the direction of the Data Analytics Center at INSS. Fieldwork was carried out by iPanel and included online interviews with 802 respondents in Hebrew and 144 in Arabic. The sample represents the adult population of Israel, aged 18 and over. The maximum sampling error for the total sample is ±3.18%, with a 95% confidence level.
The opinions expressed in INSS publications are the authors’ alone.