{"id":276147,"date":"2025-10-03T09:58:53","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T13:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=276147"},"modified":"2025-10-03T10:20:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T14:20:24","slug":"concerns-about-the-conflict-between-israel-and-hamas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2025\/10\/03\/concerns-about-the-conflict-between-israel-and-hamas\/","title":{"rendered":"3. Concerns about the conflict between Israel and Hamas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At least half of Americans express a high level of concern about several aspects of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza \u2013 including starvation among Palestinians living there (55% say they are extremely or very concerned), Israeli military strikes killing Palestinian civilians (53%) and the remaining Israeli hostages not being returned to Israel (51%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Republicans and Democrats hold differing levels of concern about some aspects of the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Concerns about starvation and civilian deaths among Palestinians living in Gaza<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

At least seven-in-ten Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they are extremely or very concerned about starvation among Palestinians living in Gaza (74%) and Israeli military strikes killing Palestinian civilians (72%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By comparison, about four-in-ten Republicans and Republican leaners express a high level of concern about starvation among Palestinians living in Gaza (39%) or Israeli military strikes killing Palestinian civilians (37%). Roughly a third of Republicans say they are somewhat concerned about each of these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns about the Israeli military forcing Palestinians to leave Gaza<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About six-in-ten Democrats (61%) say they are extremely or very concerned about the Israeli military forcing Palestinians to leave Gaza, while 23% say they are somewhat concerned and 13% say they are not too or not at all concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republicans are substantially less likely to express a high level of concern about this prospect: 21% say they are extremely or very concerned, 35% say they are somewhat concerned and 42% say they are not too or not at all concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns about Hamas attacking Israel in the future<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Conversely, Republicans express a higher level of concern than Democrats about the prospect of Hamas attacking Israel in the future: About half of Republicans (52%) say they are extremely or very concerned about this, with an additional 26% saying they are somewhat concerned. Roughly four-in-ten Democrats (39%) say they are extremely or very concerned about this, while a third say they are somewhat concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns about the remaining Israeli hostages not being returned to Israel<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Republicans and Democrats express nearly identical levels of concern about the remaining Israeli hostages not being returned to Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About half or more Republicans (54%) and Democrats (51%) say they are extremely or very concerned about the remaining Israeli hostages not being returned to Israel. Similar shares across parties say they are somewhat concerned (27% of Republicans and 30% of Democrats) or not too or not at all concerned (17% and 16% respectively).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Americans\u2019 views of Israel\u2019s approach to the war have changed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The shares of Americans saying Israel is going too far in its military operation have grown over the course of the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Today,<\/strong> about four-in-ten Americans (39%) say Israel\u2019s current military operation against Hamas is going too far, while 26% say either that Israel is taking about the right approach (16%) or that it is not going far enough (10%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two years ago<\/strong> \u2013 a few months after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks \u2013 far fewer (27%) said Israel was going too far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the conflict, about a third of Americans have said they are not sure about Israel\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Views by party<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Democrats continue to be much more likely than Republicans to say Israel is going too far in its approach to the war. Today, 60% of Democrats and 19% of Republicans say this. And Republicans continue to be more likely than Democrats to say Israel is taking the right approach (27% vs. 7%) or that it is not going far enough (18% vs. 3%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Republicans are more likely than Democrats today to say they are unsure about Israel\u2019s handling of the conflict (35% vs. 27%). At previous points during the conflict, there were not partisan differences in uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, in both parties, the shares saying Israel\u2019s current military operation is going too far are up from last year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • 60% of Democrats now say Israel\u2019s approach to the war is going too far, up 10 percentage points from a year ago.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • While relatively few Republicans say Israel is going too far in its approach to the war, this is also up from last fall (19% today vs. 13% in September 2024).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    At least half of Americans express a high level of concern about several aspects of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza \u2013 including starvation among Palestinians living there (55% say they are extremely or very concerned), Israeli military strikes killing Palestinian civilians (53%) and the remaining Israeli hostages not being returned to Israel (51%). However, Republicans […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":581,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[117,414,417,38,98,428],"tags":[],"bylines":[608,616,964,2768,718],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[497,510,505,515],"research-teams":[520],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-276147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-global-image-of-countries","category-israel-global-image","category-partisanship-issues","category-political-issues","category-war-international-conflict-1","category-war-international-conflict-2","bylines-andy-cerda","bylines-gabriel-borelli","bylines-jocelyn-kiley","bylines-steven-shepard","bylines-ted-van-green","formats-report","regions-countries-israel","regions-countries-middle-east-north-africa","regions-countries-multiple-regions-worldwide","regions-countries-united-states","research-teams-politics"],"label":false,"post_parent":276136,"word_count":645,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2025\/10\/03\/concerns-about-the-conflict-between-israel-and-hamas\/","art_direction":{"A2":{"id":276211,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/PP_25.09.30_IsraelGaza_crop.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/PP_25.09.30_IsraelGaza_crop.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"caption":"","chartArt":true},"XL":{"id":276212,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/PP_25.09.30_IsraelGaza_topic.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/PP_25.09.30_IsraelGaza_topic.png?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"caption":"","chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":276211,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/PP_25.09.30_IsraelGaza_crop.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/PP_25.09.30_IsraelGaza_crop.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"caption":"","chartArt":true},"A4":{"id":276211,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/PP_25.09.30_IsraelGaza_crop.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/PP_25.09.30_IsraelGaza_crop.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"caption":"","chartArt":true},"A1":{"id":276212,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/PP_25.09.30_IsraelGaza_topic.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/PP_25.09.30_IsraelGaza_topic.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"caption":"","chartArt":false},"social":{"id":276210,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/PP_25.09.30_IsraelGaza_feature.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/PP_25.09.30_IsraelGaza_feature.png?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"caption":"","chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[{"id":276136,"title":"How Americans View the Israel-Hamas Conflict 2 Years Into the War","slug":"how-americans-view-the-israel-hamas-conflict-2-years-into-the-war","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2025\/10\/03\/how-americans-view-the-israel-hamas-conflict-2-years-into-the-war\/","is_active":false},{"id":276139,"title":"1. 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