The airstrikes in Gaza appear to have Israeli voters’ approval, with polls showing a strong surge in support for the governing parties.

In polls conducted by Israeli television yesterday, 81 per cent of respondents said that they backed the army’s attacks on Gaza. Asked about a theoretical military offensive on Gaza a week ago, the same survey revealed that only 60 per cent of Israelis supported such an operation.

With parliamentary elections due on February 10, opinion polls indicate that the Gaza raids have hurt the prospects of Binyamin Netanyahu, the hawkish leader of the right-wing Likud party, who had been favourite to emerge as the new prime minister.

Kadima, the centrist party led by Tzipi Livni, the Foreign Minister, climbed in the polls from 25 to 28 projected seats in the 120-member Knesset. The number of seats projected for Labour, led by Ehud Barak, the Defence Minister, jumped +from 11 to 16 seats. In the current Knesset, Kadima has 29, Labour 19 and Likud 12 seats.

“Last week I didn’t think that either of them, Livni or Barak, were capable of running the country. I would have said that they were spineless and only [Netanyahu] knew how to order the troops in,” said Yoni Tabibian, 34, a shopkeeper whose home town of Ashkelon was hit by Hamas rockets throughout the day yesterday. “I’m pleasantly surprised that I might have other options come election day.”

Mr Tabibian said that he was prepared to see the operation go on as long as necessary, despite the 60-odd rockets that militants fired yesterday on Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip. “I am willing to suffer weeks, months, until they are begging us to stop. I wouldn’t have supported Barak and Livni last week, but what they have done now is genius.”

Orit Gera, 33, a mother of two, said that she supported the Gaza attacks, and was unperturbed that about 60 civilians were among more than 300 Palestinians killed in the Israeli strikes. “I trust the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] not to hit civilians if they can avoid it. I prefer that innocent Palestinians don’t die, but I care first and foremost about my young children, who live in fear,” she said.

For the moment, the offensive is backed by the electorate. “The support of the people is important. There is no better way to turn public favour than success in a war,” one defence official told The Times.

Such views could change if the army were to launch a ground offensive, warned Colonel Jonathan Fighel, of the Israeli International Institute for Counter-Terrorism. “It is much more difficult and carries a high risk of casualties to Israeli soldiers.” Political experts have warned, however, that the slightest mistake in Gaza could turn the tide against Ms Livni and Mr Barak, who have gambled their careers by launching the attacks on Hamas.

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