A new poll, carried out by Israeli television network Channel 12, asked respondents whether Prime Minister Netanyahu was more interested in remaining in power than winning the Gaza offensive or freeing the remaining captives, Al Jazeera reports.

Some 55 per cent of respondents said they believed Netanyahu saw staying in power as his main goal, while only 36pc said they believed returning the captives was paramount for the prime minister.

When returning the captives was exchanged for “winning the war”, responses remained roughly the same.

When asked why there hadn’t been another captives-for-ceasefire deal, some 53 pc of respondents said they believed it was due to political reasons.