Israeli People no longer Supports Gaza War: Israeli Opposition Leader

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid says that the majority of the Israeli public no longer supports the war in Gaza, and therefore, it must end.

“There has always been one necessary condition for Israel’s wars: a majority. The State of Israel can’t conduct a war if a majority of the public doesn’t stand behind it, does not believe in its goals, and does not trust the leadership,” he writes on X.

“Not one of these conditions exists now. The time has come for the end of the war and to bring back the hostages,” he writes.

Lapid's statement indicates that political and public divisions are growing in Israeli society over the Gaza war. Last Tuesday (July 29) he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of steering the country into a “political catastrophe,” citing efforts to prolong the genocide in the Gaza Strip.

“This government has led us into a political catastrophe. One failure after another,” Lapid wrote on X. He criticized the prime minister for being “absent from the political arena” and described Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar as “useless,” adding that Cabinet ministers “endanger Israeli soldiers every time they open their mouths.”

It came amid growing frustration about the continued war in Gaza and the failure to reach a deal to end it and return hostages. Lapid's statement has sparked intense debate in Israeli politics, with the government responding: "The full blockade will remain in place until the Hamas hostages are released." The international community is now eyeing a possible change in Israeli policy.