As the world awaits Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas attack, a bipartisan majority of Americans would like the U.S. to help Palestinian civilians leave the area.
Seventy-eight percent of respondents in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll agreed that “American diplomats should actively be working on a plan to allow civilians fleeing fighting in Gaza to move to a safe country.”
Conducted over two days late last week, the poll found strong support among Democrats (94%) as well as Republicans (71%) for U.S. help in relocating civilians in Gaza.
Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 Israelis and taking almost 200 people hostage. At least 30 Americans have been killed in the Israel-Hamas War and 13 are missing. As the fighting continues into a ninth day, the Gaza Health Ministry reported early Monday that 2,750 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict and 9,700 have been wounded.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 41% of respondents said the U.S. should support Israel. Republicans showed the strongest support for Israel, with 54% backing Israel’s position, compared with 37% of Democrats. Support for Israel was strongest among Americans over the age of 40, 53% of whom back Israel in the conflict.
About a quarter of respondents (27%) said the U.S. should be a neutral mediator in the conflict. Support for a neutral position was strongest among respondents under the age of 40, 40% of whom said the U.S. should favor neither Israel nor Palestinians. Twenty-one percent of respondents said the U.S. should not be involved at all.
Support for helping Palestinian civilians is at odds with the reality on the ground, as Israel maintains a blockade around most of the Gaza strip and crossings into Egypt are closed because of ongoing Israeli airstrikes in the area.
