A new public opinion survey conducted in mid-June captures Israeli views on the ongoing military campaign against Iran. The research was carried out by Dr. Gayil Talshir and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Nimrod Nir from the Department of Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
A new survey conducted by researchers from the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University reveals broad public support among Israeli Jews for the ongoing military campaign against Iran, with 83% backing the strike and a majority expressing confidence in Israel’s security institutions, emotional resilience, and preparedness for prolonged conflict. In contrast, Arab Israelis overwhelmingly oppose the campaign (only 12% support it), favor diplomacy over military action (73%), and report significantly higher levels of fear and despair. The study highlights a deep divide between the two communities not only in terms of policy preferences and emotional response, but also in perceptions of national unity, trust in institutions, and willingness to continue the campaign without U.S. backing. While Jewish Israelis largely see the Iran strike as unifying and justified even at high cost, Arab Israelis view it as divisive, dangerous, and diplomatically unjustified — underscoring a profound gap in public sentiment across Israeli society.
Online Link: https://acesse.one/juHeD
Key Findings: Strong Support, Conditional Backing, and Emotional Complexity
The survey indicates strong support for the Iran campaign among Israeli Jews, even in scenarios without U.S. backing — whereas among Arab Israelis, the sentiment is largely the opposite.
• 83% of Jewish Israelis support the attack on Israel, compared to only 12% among Arab Israelis.
• Among Jewish Israelis 46% of support striking Iran’s nuclear facilities even without American backing; 34% support military action only with U.S. cooperation and 16% prefer a diplomatic route.
• Among Arab Israelis 11% of support striking Iran’s nuclear facilities even without American backing; 6% support military action only with U.S. cooperation and 73% prefer a diplomatic route.
Emotional reactions among the public are varied and there are significant differences between the feelings of Jewish and Arab Israelis. Whereas amongst Jewish Israelis, positive sentiments such as hope and pride are more dominant than sentiments such as fear and despair, the opposite is true for Arab citizens.
• Among Jewish Israelis 35% said they felt fear, 28% pride and 23.5% hope and 13.5% despair.
• Among Arab Israelis 69% said they felt fear, 2% pride and 3.5% hope and 25% despair.
Notably, public sentiment reflects a growing sense of national unity among Jewish Israelis.
• Jewish Israelis – 57% thought the campaign against Iran will make society more united, 36% thought it will have no effect and 7% thought it will make society more divided.
• Arab Israelis – 23% thought the campaign against Iran will make society more united, 21% thought it will have no effect and 56% thought it will make society more divided.
Trust in Security Agencies Remains High, but Government Lags Behind
While trust in security forces remains robust, the survey reveals stark contrasts in public confidence across institutions:
• The Israeli Air Force and Mossad rank highest in public trust.
• The government and security cabinet receive the lowest confidence ratings.
• Among individual figures, the Mossad Director, Air Force Commander, and IDF Chief of Staff are most trusted.
• Government receives a moderately low trust score.
Divergence on Strategic Goals and U.S. Involvement
The public remains divided over the ultimate objectives of the campaign – and again we see large differences in opinion between Jewish and Arab Israelis.
• Jewish Israelis – 56% favor a full military dismantling of Iran’s capabilities, while 44% support a diplomatic resolution. While only 24% believe Israel can eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat without U.S. support. 32% respondents say Israel should comply with U.S. requests to halt the campaign if asked, 35% say the US demand should be refuse and Israeli should continue attacking and 33% are uncertain.
• Arab Israelis – only 14% favor a full military dismantling of Iran’s capabilities, while a large majority (86%) support a diplomatic resolution. 78% respondents say Israel should comply with U.S. requests to halt the campaign if asked, 5% say the US demand should be refuse and Israeli should continue attacking and 17% are uncertain.
Hostage Deal and Gaza Campaign
Support of a deal that will end the war in Gaza for the return of the hostages increased following the Iran campaign (from 68% pre campaign to 76% following the campaign).
• Jewish Israelis - 71% support a hostage deal that would bring the Gaza campaign to an end, a marked increase in support since the Iran campaign began. 30% favor rejecting the hostage release and continuing the military campaign even at the cost of risking the lives of the remaining hostages.
• Arab Israelis - 99% support a hostage deal that would bring the Gaza campaign to an end, a marked increase in support since the Iran campaign began. 1% favor rejecting the hostage release and continuing the military campaign even at the cost of risking the lives of the remaining hostages.
Preparedness and Risk Tolerance
• Jewish Israelis - Around 68% believe the Israeli home front is moderately or highly prepared for a prolonged conflict and 32% consider the country not well-prepared.
• Arab Israelis - Only 25% believe the Israeli home front is moderately or highly prepared for a prolonged conflict and 75% consider the country not well-prepared.
Methodology
• Sample size: 1,057 Israeli citizens aged 17–86
• Sampling design: the full data is weighted to reflect demographic and political diversity of Israeli society, including gender, age, religion, region, voting behavior (25th Knesset), religiosity, and Jewish ethnic origin
• Data collection: June 15–16, 2025 (two waves)
• Margin of error: ±4.2% at a 99% confidence level
• Panel source: Majority of respondents are part of Agam Institute's panel, enabling cross-analysis with prior data on media use, political attitudes, and more.
Subject of Research
People
‘What are these wars for?’: Arab town in
Israel shattered by Iran strike
By AFP
June 17, 2025
Mourners at a funeral for victims of an Iranian missile attack which destroyed a three-storey building in the northern city of Tamra - Copyright AFP STR
Sharon ARONOWICZ
An Arab town in northern Israel paid a heavy price for the ongoing air war between Iran and Israel when a ballistic missile slammed into a home there, killing four people and upending life in the small community.
Hundreds of sobbing residents crowded the narrow streets of Tamra on Tuesday to watch as the wooden coffins adorned with colourful wreaths were carried to the town’s cemetery.
To some, the Iranian strike highlighted the unequal protections afforded Israel’s Arab minority, while to others, it merely underscored the cruel indifference of war.
Raja Khatib has been left to pick up the pieces from an attack that killed his wife, two of his daughters and a sister in law.
“I wish to myself, if only the missile would have hit me as well. And I would be with them, and I wouldn’t be suffering anymore,” Khatib told AFP.
“Learn from me: no more victims. Stop the war.”
After five days of fighting, at least 24 people have been killed in Israel and hundreds more wounded by the repeated barrages launched from Iran.
Israel’s sophisticated air defence systems have managed to intercept a majority of the missiles and drones targeting the country.
But some have managed to slip through.
With some projectiles roughly the size of a train carriage and carrying a payload that can weigh hundreds of kilograms, Iran’s ballistic missiles can be devastating upon impact.
A single strike can destroy large swaths of a city block and rip gaping holes in an apartment building, while the shockwave can shatter windows and wreak havoc on the surrounding area.
The level of destruction from the missiles has been unprecedented in Israel, even after 20 months of continuous war in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Along with Tamra, barrages have also hit residential areas in Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva and Haifa.
– Discrimination –
As the coffins made their way through Tamra on Tuesday, a group of women tended to a relative of the victims who had become faint with grief, dabbing cold water on her cheeks and forehead.
At the cemetery, men embraced and young girls cried at the foot of the freshly dug graves.
Iran has continued to fire daily salvos since Israel launched a surprise air campaign that it says is aimed at preventing the Islamic republic from acquiring nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran denies.
In Iran, Israel’s wide-ranging air strikes have killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.
Despite mounting calls to de-escalate, neither side has backed off from the fighting.
In Israel, frequent air raid alerts have kept residents close to bomb shelters, while streets across the country have largely emptied and shops shuttered.
But some in the country’s Arab minority have said the government has done too little to protect them, pointing to unequal access to public shelters used to weather the barrages.
Most of Israel’s Arab minority identify as Palestinians who remained in what is now Israel after its creation in 1948. They represent about 20 percent of the country’s population.
The community frequently professes to face discrimination from Israel’s Jewish majority.
“The state, unfortunately, still distinguishes between blood and blood,” Ayman Odeh, an Israeli parliamentarian of Palestinian descent, wrote on social media after touring Tamra earlier this week.
“Tamra is not a village. It is a city without public shelters,” Odeh added, saying that this was the case for 60 percent of “local authorities” — the Israeli term for communities not officially registered as cities, many of which are majority Arab.
But for residents like Khatib, the damage has already been done.
“What are these wars for? Let’s make peace, for the sake of the two people,” he said.
“I am a Muslim. This missile killed Muslims. Did it differentiate between Jews and Muslims? No, when it hits, it doesn’t distinguish between people.”
New study finds that war has a profound and lasting impact on civilian sleep, even among those not directly exposed to combat. Across four large-scale studies, researchers found sharp increases in insomnia, short sleep duration, and reliance on sleep medication among the Israeli population during the 2023–2024 Israel–Hamas war. These sleep disruptions persisted even six months into the conflict, despite a decrease in reported psychological distress—suggesting that the effects on sleep are not just immediate reactions to acute stress, but may represent longer-term consequences of living under sustained threat. The study also identified particularly vulnerable groups, including women and individuals with higher exposure to trauma, who experienced more severe sleep impairments. These findings underscore the importance of recognizing sleep as a critical component of civilian health during times of war and ensuring that it is addressed in both emergency and long-term public health strategies.
A new study led by Prof. Shoham Choshen-Hillel and Dr. Uri Zak of the Hebrew University Business School and the Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, Prof. Hagit Hochner of the Hadassah–Hebrew University School of Public Health and Community Medicine, and Prof. Alex Gileles-Hillel of Hadassah Medical Center and Hebrew University, reveals a significant decline in sleep quality among the Israeli civilian population following the outbreak of the 2023–2024 Israel–Hamas war.
Published in the International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, the study titled “Tired of War: Changes in the Sleep of the Israeli Civilian Population in the Wake of the Israel-Hamas War” is among the first to document the broad impact of warfare on the sleep health of civilians, rather than military personnel.
The research, based on four studies and thousands of data points, shows a sharp rise in insomnia and sleep disturbances among Israelis during the conflict. Drawing on a national survey by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics and additional representative samples, the researchers found:
• A marked increase in insomnia symptoms during the war.
• A 19–22% rise in the prevalence of short sleep (less than 6 hours per night).
• A 16–19% increase in clinically significant insomnia.
• A 4–5% increase in the use of sleep medication.
The majority of these effects persisted for at least six months, even as psychological distress among respondents declined, indicating that war-related sleep disruptions may have long-term consequences.
The studies further highlight that women and individuals with greater exposure to trauma were more severely affected.
“This research underscores that war reaches far beyond the battlefield,” said the researchers “Even those not in direct danger face deep and lasting impacts—sleepless nights being among them.”
They added, “Understanding how war affects sleep can help policymakers and health professionals support civilian populations through and beyond conflict. Sleep is not a luxury—it is essential for coping, healing, and resilience.”
The Hebrew University and Hadassah Medical Center continue to be at the forefront of research into the psychological and physiological impacts of war and trauma, offering data-driven insights to guide national and global responses to civilian mental health in times of crisis.
Journal
International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology
Method of Research
Observational study
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Tired of war: Changes in the sleep of the Israeli civilian population in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war
Article Publication Date
16-Jun-2025
