Smoke rises following Israeli attack on Gaza
Smoke rises following Israeli attack on GazaFlash 90

A majority of Israelis say the IDF’s response to rocket attacks from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip was insufficient, a new poll shows, even as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu touted Israel’s “powerful” response to the attacks.

On Monday, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed deep in Israeli territory, striking a home in the town of Mishmeret in central Israel, 50 miles from the Gaza Strip and 75 miles from the rocket’s launch site in Rafah in the southern Strip.

The attack, which left seven Israelis injured, marked a major escalation in the long-simmering conflict between Israel and the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to Washington DC following the attack, and ordered the IDF to respond with a series of airstrikes on Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip.

AFP reported Tuesday that seven Gazans were injured in the Israeli retaliatory strikes.

As Gaza-based terrorists continued to fire rockets at Israel, the IDF struck again in Gaza late Tuesday night, hitting Hamas targets in Rafah.

While the prime minister touted Israel’s “very, very strong response”, a poll released Wednesday morning finds that a majority of Israelis believe the IDF’s response to the attacks was insufficient.

According to the poll, which was conducted by Direct Polls and published by Kan, 53% of respondents said Israel’s response was too weak, compared to just 3% who said it was excessive. Just 29% said Israel’s response was sufficient without being excessive.

In addition, the poll found less than a quarter (24%) of Israeli adults characterizing Netanyahu’s performance over the past few days as “good”, with 33% who said it was poor, and 33% who gave the premier a ‘moderate’ rating.