A recent survey found that over 40% of Americans now think Israel’s reaction to the militant group Hamas in Gaza has been “too far.”
The “too far” assessment was revealed in a survey by the Wall Street Journal. A quarter of respondents felt the Israeli response had been about right, 19% thought it hadn’t gone far enough, and 15% were unsure or declined to respond.
Roughly 1,200 people were killed in the attack on southern Israel on October 7. Militants grabbed roughly 240 more and took them to Gaza as prisoners. Israeli forces have attacked Gaza multiple times in recent months in what they claim are attempts to depose Hamas.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in the conflict since it began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which Hamas governs. Local health authorities and the UN have suggested that the majority of the casualties are children and women, although the authorities are not distinguishing between civilians and fighters.
The survey also inquired as to whether or not they think the United States is doing enough to help both Israel and the Palestinians. A third of respondents felt the United States was going too far in its support for Israel, while a quarter thought it was falling short, and 32% felt it was just right.
The number of people who think the United States has gone to extreme lengths to back Israel has increased from 22% in December to now.
Additionally, since December, the number of respondents stating that the United States has not done enough to assist the Palestinian people has increased. The percentage of people who think the United States isn’t doing all it should rose from 26% in December to 33% in the most recent survey.
A quarter of respondents felt the United States was providing the Palestinians with an excessive amount of aid, while a quarter felt it was about the appropriate amount. The United States began delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza with cargo planes on Saturday morning when this survey was conducted.
The survey has a margin of error of 3.6 percentage points and was conducted among 750 registered voters from February 21st to 28th.
