A recent study by the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University has revealed some intriguing findings about how Israeli Arabs view the ongoing Gaza war.

According to the survey, 14.7% of respondents believe Hamas should govern Gaza after the war, while 19.4% think the Palestinian Authority should govern the enclave. A majority of respondents (58.5%) expressed the opinion that other Arab nations should take control instead.

Notably, 34.4% said that an International non-Arab body should govern Gaza after the war, with Israel receiving 8.4% of support from those surveyed.

Nearly three-quarters of Israeli Arabs reported a low sense of personal safety during the ongoing conflict. Still, 51.6% of them claim that the war has created a shared sense of destiny among them.

Violence and crime are the top concerns for Israeli Arabs overshadowing all other issues, while a significant majority (68.6%) support the idea of an Arab political party joining a governing coalition in the next Knesset elections.

Unlike their Arab counterparts living under Hamas rule in Gaza, Arab citizens of Israel enjoy full democratic rights and representation in the country’s political system. They have the right to vote, run for office, and participate in all aspects of Israeli society, including holding high-level positions in business and academia.

In stark contrast, Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization, has consistently suppressed democratic freedoms and human rights in Gaza since seizing power in 2007. Hamas has banned political opposition, persecuted minorities, and ruthlessly cracked down on dissent, often resorting to violence and intimidation to maintain its grip on power.