About half of Americans say the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip has “gone too far,” according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
That's up from November 2023, when 40% said Israel's military action had gone too far.
But at the same time, Americans overall, particularly Republicans, are less likely to say that negotiating a ceasefire should be a high priority for the US government than they were just a few months ago, when the US was holding ceasefire talks with Hamas.
The shift in American attitudes about Israel's actions comes as Israel begins a ground assault on Gaza City.
Israel is facing increased international scrutiny over its conduct in the Gaza war, with a team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council this week announcing it has concluded that Israel is committing genocide.
Israel has already destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced around 90% of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with experts announcing a famine in Gaza City.
The Palestinian death toll has surpassed 65,000, with more than 165,600 injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
“The level of innocent women and children suffering,” said Renee Hollier, of Lafayette, Louisiana, who described herself as a political independent and mother of a toddler.
“There's just no justification for this kind of suffering to continue.”
Bipartisan uptick in views that Israel has ‘gone too far’
The poll found a bipartisan uptick in Americans finding Israel’s military action has “gone too far.”
About 7 in 10 Democrats say this now, up from 58% in November 2023. And roughly half of independents say the same, compared with about 4 in 10 in the earlier measure.
Republicans have also moved slightly, from 18% to 24%.
Concern about overreach from Israel was high in January 2024, when 50% of US adults said Israel had “gone too far,” but that fell slightly as the war continued.
And 45% of US adults now say it’s “extremely” or “very” important for the US to provide humanitarian relief to Palestinians in Gaza, similar to Americans' views at the start of the war but up slightly from 41% in March.
Despite the growing view that Israel has overstepped, Americans are less likely to consider it a high priority to negotiate a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas than they were when the Trump administration was heavily involved in negotiations.
That downward shift is primarily driven by Republicans.
About half of US adults say it’s “extremely” or “very” important, down from 59% in March but in line with views from last year.
Republicans have grown less likely to say it’s “extremely” or “very” important for the US to negotiate a permanent ceasefire since earlier in the year, while Democrats haven’t shifted.
In interviews, Americans across the political spectrum were dour about the prospects of the Trump administration mediating a lasting ceasefire.
During the campaign, Trump pledged to quickly end the Israel-Hamas war as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He has failed to do so.
Approval of Trump’s handling of the conflict is down slightly among US adults to 37%, compared with 44% in March.
About 3 in 10 US adults said it is “extremely” or “very” important to negotiate the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, unchanged from January 2024.
But that belief is especially pronounced among Democrats: About half now say this is highly important, up from 41% in 2024. That compares with 19% of independents and 14% of Republicans.
The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly last week to support a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and urge Israel to commit to a Palestinian state, a move that Netanyahu vehemently opposed and that the US was one of the 10 countries to vote against.
Support for military aid for Israel falls
The survey also found slightly less support for military aid for Israel.
About 2 in 10 US adults said it is “extremely” or “very” important for the US to provide aid to Israel’s military to fight Hamas, down from 36% at the war's start.
The decline has been particularly dramatic among Democrats, from 30% at the beginning of the war to 15% now.
Lehks Wright, 50, of Albany, Georgia, who is an independent, said it's difficult to justify spending billions of dollars backing Israel's military when the Trump administration is calling for sweeping cuts in federal spending on health care and other social programs.
“If you’re going to say we’re in a deficit and there's government bloat, and I am not doubting that, then cut spending on other countries, too,” Wright said.
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