Middle EastNearly One-Third of Gazans Wanted to Leave the Gaza Strip Before the 2023 WarJust before October 7, 2023—and before Hamas attacked Israel—Dr. The bottom line is that before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and before the resulting war, a whopping 31 percent of Gazans wanted to leave. The September 2023 poll and the aftermath of October 7 show that a significant percentage of Gazans are ready to leave—to rebuild their lives. Additionally, most Gazans polled in September 2023 blamed Hamas, and not Israel, for their food insecurities. In a June 2023 poll of Palestinians, 28 percent supported the concept of a two-state solution, while 70 percent were completely opposed.