{"id":169073,"date":"2024-05-30T09:57:16","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T13:57:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=169073"},"modified":"2026-07-09T18:15:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T22:15:41","slug":"views-of-the-israel-hamas-war-may-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2024\/05\/30\/views-of-the-israel-hamas-war-may-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"1. Views of the Israel-Hamas war"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the time of the survey in March and early April, Israelis voiced differing views of the war. Reactions to the military response against Hamas were generally mixed, as were attitudes toward the principal decision-makers \u2013 the three members of Israel\u2019s war cabinet<\/a>. However, most Israelis shared concerns that the war could expand across the region and last a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Views of the Israeli military response against Hamas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When asked to assess their country\u2019s military response against Hamas in Gaza, about four-in-ten Israelis say it has been about right. Another 34% say it has not gone far enough, while 19% say it has gone too far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israeli Arabs are much more critical of the military response, with 74% saying it has gone too far. Only 4% of Israeli Jews agree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Views of the military response are divided along ideological lines. Roughly half of those who place themselves on the right (52%) say the military response has been insufficient. About a quarter of those in the center (24%) agree and only 9% of Israelis on the left say the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, a majority of Israelis on the ideological left (55%) say the military response to Hamas has gone too far. Only 15% of those in the center and 5% of those on the right share this view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among Israelis who have a favorable view of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, roughly half (49%) say the response to Hamas has been about right, but another 45% say it has not gone far enough. Only 1% of those who favor Netanyahu think the military response has gone too far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attitudes toward Israel\u2019s war cabinet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the days following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the country\u2019s then-governing coalition struck a deal with National Unity, an opposition party, to join an emergency government<\/a>. The leader of the party, Benny Gantz, together with Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, formed the core of the new war cabinet<\/a>, which was tasked with navigating the course of the conflict. (The survey was conducted before Gantz threatened to leave the war cabinet<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the cabinet\u2019s three voting members, Gallant enjoys the most public support in our survey: 61% of Israelis say they have a very or somewhat favorable view of him. Around half say the same about Gantz. As for Netanyahu, approximately four-in-ten Israelis have a positive view of the prime minister. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more on views of Palestinian leaders, refer to Chapter 3<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The majority of Israelis (58%) see their prime minister in a negative light. The share of Israelis who have a somewhat or very unfavorable<\/em> view of Netanyahu is the largest it has been since the Center first started asking the question in 2013,<\/strong> up 6 percentage points from last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:<\/em><\/strong> A growing share of Americans have little or no confidence in Netanyahu<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Netanyahu\u2019s favorability ratings have fallen among Jews and Arabs alike. However, roughly half of Israeli Jews still see him positively, compared with only 7% of Israeli Arabs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Favorability among right-leaning Israelis \u2013 the mainstay of Netanyahu\u2019s political coalition \u2013 has also declined. In this group, 69% have a favorable view of Netanyahu, compared with 85% last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Views of the three members of Israel\u2019s war cabinet vary by ethnicity, ideology and levels of religious observance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n