Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, is beginning to regain popularity after struggling in politics for more than one year. He has outperformed his main rival Benny Gantz since the war with Hamas began in October.

In a Channel 12 poll conducted on Wednesday, 500 voters from a wide cross-sectional of Israeli society were asked: “Who would be better suited as Prime Minister?” The results showed that 36% of respondents chose Netanyahu and 30% Gantz. The margin of error is 4.4%.

Gantz led by 35% to 29% last month.

In the latest poll, Netanyahu also led opposition leader Yair lapid 37%-30% and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennet 34%-32%.

The findings are a blow to Israeli opposition leaders, who have been trying for years to find a way to remove Netanyahu from office while the Gaza conflict continues. However, no elections are due until 2026 and it’s not clear that Netanyahu’s coalition partners or party members will be willing to abandon him.

Two weeks ago, Gantz had given Netanyahu an ultimatum. He must present a post-war Gaza plan or he will leave the Cabinet on June 8, if he doesn’t. Gantz was brought in by the prime minister to be part of a three-man team that would help to manage the war against Hamas. He will join Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Gantz’s move may have been to stop his poll numbers from falling, but some analysts claim it was primarily to bring voters back to Netanyahu. They are concerned that a war in the middle is not the time for political maneuvering. Israelis are still committed to the goal of defeating Hamas, and they seem to be willing to give Netanyahu more time.

Gadi Eisenkot – a former chief of military staff, member of Gantz’s party, and member of the inner cabinet – spoke out against Netanyahu on Wednesday. He accused him of failing Israel, and called for new elections to be held before the end the year. In his speech, Gantz made it clear that his party is serious about leaving the cabinet.

If elections were to be held today, the various coalition options would favor an opposition government.

In the survey, Gantz’s National Unity party and Netanyahu’s Likud, a right-wing party, both gained ground on Gantz. Likud and National Unity would each win 25 seats out of 120 in the parliament if elections were held now. This four-point difference compares to a December poll, which had Gantz’s Party at 37 and Netanyahu at 18.

Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1200 people and capturing 250. Israel’s counterattack left 36,000 people dead, according the authorities of Hamas’s territory. They don’t differentiate between civilians or fighters. Hamas has been branded a terrorist organization by the US, European Union and others.