Almost all Canadians (93%) are aware of the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to a poll conducted by Aurora Strategy Global. “During these difficult times, it is important to gauge the response of Canadians on this important international issue,” said Aurora President and Chief Advocate Marcel Wieder in a Monday press release. “The results can help contribute to the discussion.”When it comes to awareness about the Israel-Hamas conflict, Aurora said three-fifths of Canadians have been following it closely, adding one-third are not following it closely. As to who is responsible for the conflict, 41% blamed Hamas and 12% said Israel. It went on to say 62% of Canadians have not changed their opinion of Israel, 26% had a worse opinion of it and 12% said their view of it has improved. As a result of the Hamas attack, it said 46% had their view of it and the leadership of the Palestinians in Gaza become less supportive. Three-fifths agreed Israel should invade Gaza and remove the Hamas leadership. Three-quarters said Hamas was unjustified in attacking Israel as part of their struggle for a Palestinian state. Seven-tenths said they believe Iran should be held accountable for Hamas’ actions against Israel. With the pro-Hamas protests in Canada, 57% expressed concerns over them. Almost half of Canadians said antisemitism is on the rise in Canada. Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent scores of soldiers into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented attack during a major Jewish holiday, killing hundreds and stunning the country on October 7. READ MORE: Netanyahu declares war on Hamas after Israeli attack kills hundredsThe Israeli government said it was now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza, vowing to set a new precedent. Hamas soldiers were fighting gun battles inside several Israeli communities near Gaza several hours after the attack began. Israel’s national rescue service said at least 250 people had been killed and hundreds wounded at the time, making it the deadliest attack in years. Three-tenths of Canadians said their sympathies lie with Israel during its conflict with Hamas, according to a separate poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute (ARI). One-fifth said their sympathies lie more with the Palestinians, while three-tenths have an equal amount of sympathy to the two sides, according to the Tuesday poll. The ARI said nuance and division is evident across a varying number of issues surrounding the conflict. While three-quarters said Hamas is a terrorist group, it said 47% believe supporting Palestinians is not the same. Although four-fifths of Canadians said Israel has the right to exist and defend itself, they were more likely to say its response has been too aggressive (45%) than not (36%). More than two-fifths find Israeli policy to Gaza a form of apartheid, outpacing those who disagree (27%) by a significant margin. After the Canadian government abstained from voting on a resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in late October, protests have been organized across Canada to call for that. Two-thirds said pausing hostilities would be appropriate, with 35% supporting a temporary one and 30% wanting a full one. The ARI continued by saying Canadians were twice as likely to believe the federal government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have been too in favour of Israel (26%) than Palestine (15% and 17%). In each case, it said the government (23%) and Trudeau (22%) have struck the right balance. Views of the conflict divide along Canadian political lines. Conservative supporters are almost four times as likely (48%) as those who would vote NDP (13%) to say their sympathies are with Israel in this conflict. NDP supporters were more than three times as likely (36%) as Conservative ones (11%) to say their sympathies are with the Palestinians. Liberal voters were most likely (36%) to say their sympathies were divided between the two sides. One-ninth of Canadians said their sympathies have changed since the conflict began, with most of this group (7%) saying they are now more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. The remaining 4% lean more towards Israel. The NDP caucus wrote a letter to Trudeau to ask him to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict on Wednesday. READ MORE: NDP sends Trudeau letter to call a ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war“We are horrified by reports of airstrikes near hospitals, schools and cancer facilities,” said the NDP. “We are appalled by the indiscriminate and unjustified bombing by Israel of the Jabalia refugee camp on October 31.”.The Aurora poll was conducted using an online panel from October 20 to 24 of 1,052 Canadian adults. No margin of error was assigned to it. The ARI poll was conducted online from November 2 to 6 among a representative randomized sample of 1,748 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. It has a margin of error of +/- two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
