A new survey has found that 41% of Americans, including 67% of Democrats and 14% of Republicans, believe that "Israel's" military actions in Gaza amount to genocide (22%) or are akin to genocide (19%). The poll, conducted by the University of Maryland's Critical Issues series and published by Responsible Statecraft, reflects a significant shift in US public opinion on "Israel's" actions in Gaza.

Younger Americans lead in calling actions genocide

The survey, carried out between July 29 and August 7 with over 1,500 respondents aged 18 and above, found that younger Americans across the political spectrum were more likely to characterize the actions in Gaza as genocide or comparable to it.

Only 22% of respondents said that "Israel's" war in Gaza represented “justified actions under the right to self-defense,” echoing the official line from the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Among Democrats, just 7% agreed with that justification, compared to 46% of Republicans. A further 23% of respondents were unsure.

Support for Palestinians surpasses sympathy for 'Israel'

The poll revealed that more Americans sympathize with Palestinians (28%) than with Israelis (22%). Another 26% expressed equal sympathy toward both, while the remainder either sympathized with neither or were undecided.

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Among Americans aged 18 to 34, support for Palestinians stood at 37%, while only 11% said they sympathized more with "Israel." This generational divide was particularly stark among Republicans: 52% of those over 35 sympathized more with "Israel," compared to only 24% of younger Republicans.

US policy seen as enabling 'Israel's' war 

More than 60% of respondents believe that US military, economic, and diplomatic support for "Israel" has enabled the ongoing war. This view crossed party lines: 72% of Democrats, 57% of Republicans, and 63% of independents agreed with the statement. Only 12% said such support had no impact, and 10% said it had only a marginal impact.

The survey was released amid heightened international scrutiny of "Israel's" war in Gaza. On Monday, a strike on a hospital in southern Gaza killed 20 people, including five journalists. According to the Gaza Media Office, the death toll of Palestinian journalists over the last 22 months has reached 246, while other outlets report over 270 media martyrs.

Views on Trump-era policies and regional interests

When asked about President Donald Trump’s policy on Israeli-Palestine, 40% of respondents said it was “too pro-Israel,” including 63% of Democrats and 45% of independents. Only 3% believed it was “too pro-Palestinian,” while 27% said it was “about right,” and 30% were undecided. Notably, 21% of Republicans also viewed Trump’s policy as excessively favorable toward "Israel."

On whether current US policy in the region advances American interests, only one-third of respondents agreed. In contrast, 25% said it mostly serves "Israel's" interests, and 6% said it benefits Arab states. Among young Republicans, more respondents (26%) believed the policy serves "Israel" than those who felt it benefits the US (24%).

Growing shift in public perception of Gaza genocide

The belief that "Israel's" actions constitute genocide or are "akin to genocide" has grown markedly over the past year. When the same question was posed in 2023, only 23% agreed. The latest figure (41%) represents a dramatic increase, particularly among Democrats, whose support for that assessment rose from 38% to 67%.

Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland and lead author of the Critical Issues series, emphasized the importance of this shift.

“The change taking place among young Republicans is breathtaking,” he told RS via email. “While 52% of older Republicans (35+) sympathize more with Israel, only 24% of younger Republicans (18-34) say the same, fewer than half.”

He added that while recent surveys by Gallup and Pew had already shown rising sympathy toward Palestinians, this is the first time a poll found that more Americans sympathize with Palestinians than with "Israel".