Public opinion on Israeli military operations in Gaza is deeply divided, reflecting a complex interplay of support for Israel's actions against Hamas and strong condemnation of the humanitarian impact of the conflict. While many express unwavering support for Israel's military objectives, there is a significant outcry regarding civilian casualties and perceptions of genocide, leading to polarized sentiments with calls for international intervention and accountability.

Israel

Hamas

United Nations

International Community

My support for their retaliation only lasted like a month or two.

It was clear immediately that there was no achievable goal in sight, that all those bombings weren't getting Israel anywhere close to a resolution.

Back then I asked people here, how many more hamas members do they need to kill to say good enough and stop the war? Who specifically do they have to kill to stop this war? How much civilian collateral damage do they need to inflict before thinking the cost of life or civilian infrastructure is too high so they stop the war? What the fuck needs to happen, that can happen, for Israel to stop bombing gaza, basically.

Mind you, I asked this months after it started, and not a single person here was able to answer my questions, they all deflected to "Until hamas is defeated!" when my questions basically mean when will israel consider hamas defeated so people are just repeating the question back to me.

Responsible-Sound253

Off the tangent but it’s so interesting to see how a section of this community will try to weasel into supporting the most unhinged right wing Israeli ideas by just condemning Netanyahu.

The incursion into Syria and repeatedly breaking ceasefires in Suwayda was not championed by many outside the minority government in Israel. But if you read the comments on here, they’d have you believe the entire population of Israel supports it.

BombshellCover

They basically destroyed Hamas ages ago. They should be almost back to pre oct 7th status by now in terms of getting out of there. I know there are still technically hostages unaccounted for, but they can just limit their military activity to only acting on specific hostage related intel.

Tetraquil

Given that they do not allow foreign press into Palestine to cover the war and they are blowing up thousands of civilian buildings (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-33fccfbe-abcc-4af1-bdd2-632b2787cf59), I've found my sympathy for them diminishing quite a bit.

VolvicCH

I could maybe understand first like 3 months, if i would gave Israel big benefit of doubt, but now i cant even imagine not evil reason why the war is still ongoing.

AppropriateAd5701

I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE netanyahu and trump and ben-gvir but i will NEVER EVER stop defending and aligning with ALL of their policies and actions in the region. Btw i'm a respectable center-left democrat, could you tell?

Santandals

ReserveAggressive458

I just dont understand what were doing in Gaza at this point dawg.

SatisfactionLife2801

How do you define "military operations"? Killing Hamas and trying to get the hostages? Yes. Killing civilians? No. Starving civilians? also no.

Hamas still has Israeli hostages and that was one of the the main original reasons for the conflict. Hamas hasn't surrendered either and that was the other main reason for the war: making sure Hamas no longer controls Gaza.

Making any important concessions to Hamas to recover the hostages also makes no sense because the last time you did that, you exchanged an Israeli soldier for 1000 Palestinians including Sinwar, leader of Hamas, and he learned that taking hostages was a brilliant idea, so he killed 1200 Israelis and kidnapped 200 more. Needless to say, doing more of the same, is completely regarded.

MarzipanTop4944

No, I was supportive initially as Oct 7 was heinous and needed a response but Israel has been extending the conflict in the region with no obvious offramp for a long time now. Honestly if Trump wasn't president they'd have wrapped this up sooner but he just golden stamps everything they do so why would they stop.

Floturcocantsee

Super difficult, I am undecided. On the one hand, Israel behaves increasingly unhinged and very possibly prepares an ethnic cleansing, or at the very least has no plan at all to get to peace. So I am against this war. 


On the other hand, stopping this war means the best case scenario is a reset to before october 7th time. Tens of thousands dead for basically nothing. And Hamas would possibly rebuild and repeat their attacks, as they have promised. This is the argument for continuing the war. 


Trumps election was an absolute disaster for the world. 

Crac2

actually im curious, did palestinian side make any moves towards peace since they started this war?

69bearslayer69

I would like there to be a ceasefire but only if Hamas never governs Gaza again. Gaza should be under UN administration temporarily and the Palestinian people must choose administration that is completely opposite to Hamas. 


"Peace" can only be achieved once Hamas stops governing Palestine. I still support the two state solution but Hamas must be removed from power if there is any realistic goal for the two state solution.

[deleted]

Yes to eradicating terrorists, kind of gray about the way it is being done.

I know enough about current day modern warfare to see that they could put more weight on avoiding heavy collateral damage.

But who am i to judge... My country was not attacked like Israel was on 10/7 and the population of the country that could do it would probably not overwhelmingly support the attack like Gazans did right after.

KS-Wolf-1978

NetworkDry4989

Do you think Israel should agree to a ceasefire that keeps Hamas in power? If the answer is no, then I don't see how you can respond to this survey with anything but a "Yes".

ZealousidealExam239

I don't think I'd ever stop supporting the country as an idea. There are definitely many things the government has done that I don't support.

welltechnically7

I share many of the concerns about the government, but I also think it's likely that the (admittedly very loud) extremist voices within the coalition aren't ultimately going to get what they want.

Have the actions of specific soldiers gone too far? Absolutely. And I'd like for those soldiers to be prosecuted. But has the Israeli military in general gone too far? I don't think so.

War is horrible. There's no denying that. And we're seeing more of it--via phones and new media--than we ever have. And we're reacting to the horrors of war. We're reacting as if we could do better.

But we can't. We don't have an alternative. Military experts actually haven't yet developed a better method of waging a war against this type of enemy--an enemy whose entire strategy depends on endangering, embedding within, and sacrificing their own people. Every urban warfare analyst who has looked at the situation has concluded that the IDF has been more careful and more restrained than any other modern military.

As for who should administer the Gaza of tomorrow: people with very strong incentives to rebuild, democratize, and commit to the long process of genuine de-radicalization. If such a framework is achievable, I'm somewhat flexible on the players.

old_metalhead

A long time ago, but the off ramp is hard to see too given the complete intransigence of Hamas in negotiating, something the Israeli government is guilty of as well. The whole "return people who participated in October 7th demand and we'll keep half the hostages" is particularly galling.

Brain_Dead_Goats

I love Israel and I believe in the Israeli dream. I stopped supporting this war a while ago and I think military action has gone way too far

Quetzalcodeal

&gt;Do you think Israel’s military actions in Gaza have gone too far? 

No.

&gt;Is there a red line they might cross that would lead you to reconsider your support for them?

Sending living Palestinians to America.

&gt;Who should administer Gaza after the war is over? 

Someone who will punish terrorists instead of producing them.

Stephen_1984

Listen, we *can't ignore the misinformation coming from the Hamas Ministry of Health. It's important to remember that the Israelis are ultimately the good side in this conflict. The actions they’re taking in Gaza seem appropriate to me. I have yet to see a credible report demonstrating that they have committed serious war crimes. Yes, war is bloody, and with cameras capturing everything now, it’s more visible than ever. I believe that in the long run, it will be clear that Hamas and their backers are the ones escalating this war and worsening the situation.

*Edit.  I meant “we can’t ignore the fact that the information coming from Gaza is from Hamas and can’t be trusted”

Surround8600

No. The propaganda against Israel is what have gone too far

Daabbo5

I think that this whole idea of war crime needs to be redefined.  People get killed in war.  That includes civilians.

The 2005 gift that nearly gave Hamas the Gaza Strip should have been met with an Arab state in Gaza.  Instead Hamas offered a temporary truce for land in the West Bank.  Temporary truces are not worth anything.

Hamas needs to be pummeled into submission and that has not happened yet.

extrastone

Why are American conservatives answering here? They’re answers are only revealing an American imperialism, “no Palestinians to America” jfc they’re not genetically terroristic

DrMontague02

if you change the name of israel to any other country, this wouldn’t even be a question

leilqnq

Whether Israel intended starvation or its the result of 2 years of war, it’s not relevant at this point . There is a major food shortage and while I blame Hamas 100% as they can stop the war in two minutes , the optics and Israel’s response look terrible . Hamas wants dead starving children because the fools in the west eat it all up and will blame Israel. Look at Macron of France , instead of putting pressure on Hamas , he will reward Hamas by recognizing a Palestine state. . So for the Hamas leadership , it was all worth it. So sure thousands of Palestinian children died because they attacked Israel , but they rewarded for it in the end

T-38Pilot

Hamas needs to surrender if they want to save their people. They played their hand on OCT 7 and kept going until they were stopped. What is happening now is a retaliation to that.

Nothing is “too far” here since this would never have happened if OCT 7 never happened.

Now Hamas can stop this, if they surrender. Since they wont, this is how things are for now. There is no possibility that things just end and everyone goes back to how things were before OCT 7.

Tulip_Todesky

You’ve repeated a bunch of pro hamas propaganda and your questions are framed in a way that evokes anti Israel sentiment.  Maybe you thought you sounded more neutral?  

Why isn’t the question what you would want your government to do if genocidal jihadists like hamas attacked you in your home, raped your children, dragged your family down into tunnels, promised to continue terrorizing you until you are extinguished, etc?  Please, you answer that question and then I’ll tell you what I think Israel should do

Late_Company6926

Tbh, with all the hate and beat down I received (3:1 for hanging hostage posters) not really. Pre10/07 I was a Zionist, but not an ardent one. 

Now I’m an uber Zionist. I don’t care any longer because clearly nobody cares about us.

VillageHot7793

No I think they have been incredibly careful- much more so than any other war-they are not perfect but most westerners have been insulated from having to make difficult choices for survival for a long time. I am tired of the intense propaganda and the lack of gumption. War is not pretty and dealing with war with an enemy who doesn’t abide by be same rules or morality is even more difficult. No lie for Hamas is too great nor civilian death too dear. Frankly we care more about innocent civilians than those who profess to care actually do. If Hamas is not destroyed militarily we are passing pain to the next generation. And it can be destroyed militarily. There is a line that would be too far but we haven’t ever crossed even close to that from what I have seen. Why is everyone pressuring Israel and outraged at everything they do that is par for the course in war but no similar pressure has ever been placed on an actual terror organization that is actually committing atrocities? Never once in the course of all of this outrage has Hamas been blamed by the propaganda machine even when they k*ll their own people or dance on the coffins of children. Compassion is always needed in war but must be taken in the context of reality and not constantly used to bludgeon and hamstring the actual victims in this war. Hostages are still there, Israel did not start this. Perhaps we ought to remember Israel deserves the world’s compassion and receives her criticism.

Bilbo_Baggins556

Many people hated the Vietnam War, but nobody suggested that the USA should be dissolved and its citizens deported to Europe, Africa etc. 

I hope that Israel will handle the war in a more humane and humanitarian way, but that doesn't change the fact that Zionism was the right move. It didn't need to result in Netanyahu, although Hamas has done their best to radicalise Israeli society through decades of non-stop terror atrocities.

EveryConnection

I don't think they've gone far enough. No war has ever been won by feeding the enemy. Making wars unwinnable was the purpose of that later addition to the Geneva Conventions.

JagneStormskull

It doesn’t have to be so all or nothing that you either 100% ride or die for Bibi, or you are apathetic to the entire country of millions being wiped off the map. Obviously Bibi and Ben Gvir and his ilk are horrible people doing terrible things in our name.  At the same time, the world is violently racist towards us and our next door neighbors continue trying to kill us constantly.  Its a combination of things.  

Dont let them ever get the idea in your head that jews as a whole deserve to die or be hurt.  There is never a situation where that would be justified and we need to stand up against that suggestion.

RedFlowerGreenCoffee

HenriettaGrey

Perhaps the real question to be asking is;

If Hamas is the leader of the Gaza people, why don’t he
They look for an exit from this by releasing the hostages and making some concessions? Oh that’s right because they’re only looking for further their personal and institutional goals, not any goals surrounding the welfare of the people they purportedly represent.

1000thusername

Have they gone too far?  For me, they haven't gone far enough.  Israel had the means to end Hamas completely on October 8th but they didn't because instead they chose to show too much restraint because of their concern for the safety of the enemy civilian population. 

And now Israel is being falsely accused of a genocide for all their efforts!

Jewpiter613

Anyone who believe Israel has gone too far but also agree that Hamas must be eliminated, what exactly do you think Israel should have done differently?

IllustratorSlow5284

I think the inception of Israel and annexing of Palestinian land can’t allow me to support Israel. It was never a land without a people for a people without a land. It was an excuse for western countries to rid themselves of Jewish populations and for Jewish populations to practice white supremacy and colonialism while excluding so many other Jews (specifically Arab and African Jews). All to say you should’ve asked this question far before October 7th. The general public will never stomach such a blatant refusal of basic human rights to a group of people no matter how demonized that population is. Hamas will have no reason to exist when Palestinians have freedom. Israel continues to outflank Hamas in arms thanks to the endless giving of the US government and the majority of their arsenal has been used to obliterate displaced children.

Zealousideal-Okra-60

At what point do we recognize that Hamas’ existence is convenient for Netanyahu’s politics?

It’s why he advocates for funding them in Lanuk Party meetings. 

Extremist groups thrive off of wars and violence. If you truly want to eliminate Hamas you do it through empowering the everyday Palestinians who deserve to govern themselves.

You will never bomb Hamas out of existence. It’s simply not possible. And two years, and thousands of bombs later, we are no closer to defeating Hamas than we were on the day of October 7th. All we have done is legitimize them and killed thousands of children in the process.

Jaded-Durian-3917

No honestly we keep holding them back. War could have been over years ago if we didn’t tie their hands around their backs.

Correct-Effective289

With the war? No not really. I mean they seem to be doing what they can honestly. They even still give aid and what not. Not that it’s going to anyone other than Hamas but idk what else they can do. Hamas and the PA do not want a peace deal, so until they get to a point where they do, the war will continue. With the second question, I’m not sure. At least not with the gaza war. For other reasons, I’m sure I would yes. But for the war, idk rn.

Autisticspidermann

yumyum_cat

According Gazan health authorities(Hamas)

DotHot2852

Aliens struck in Bangladesh, 100000 died.   
Stop making up number jesus christ, Nobody can count dead so fast

MysteriousOwlOooOoo

ProjectConfident8584

Ah, yes. Hamas Propaganda. Gotta be true...

Yrminulf

morerandom__2025

lexegon12

Almost as if they were told to evacuate for weeks?

Rich-Rest1395

Who are the “health authorities “ 🤣🤣

Reasonable_Hand_8097

Remote_Yak4779

Yes. War is hell. Don’t start them if you don’t want your people to suffer them.

STFUnicorn_

I thought the US was shit at war, this is the epitome of incompetence and genocidal injustice

stoic_Gorn

I hate to be the guy that just references popular media, and the Hawkeye quote from M*A*S*H is said to death, but I feel like it really applies. The moment you see kids, old people, heck even non-combatant young men suffering. Your appetite for war evaporates real quick.

creatingKing113

It's gone on too long and there is an actually legitimate starvation situation going on. So yeah. I support going after Hamas, with a lot of leeway. I don't support mass starvation to go after Hamas. I support Israel existing as a state. I don't support every action Israel takes.

thebigmanhastherock

I know that Netanyahu has stated that he is doing this all for the protection of Jewish people, but i think everything his government has done has actually been to the detriment of Jewish people.  Both in the short term and the long term.

Short term we have already seen a rise in antisemitism and attacks on Jewish people.  And frankly I dont think it's because there was some deep rooted antisemitism in the country.  I remember when Russia first invaded Ukraine, and there were attacks on people of Russian heritage and Russian business in the US.  I would argue the same thing is happening now, especially since the acts in Gaza have been so egregious.  I will admit that antisemitism could add some extra fuel to that fire though.

In the long term though, what does Israel's future look like if it loses US support?  Consider the current state of US politics right now, and also consider the fact that there is large disapproval amongst US citizens age 55 and younger.  I don't think it's out of the question that in 10-20 years we have politicians that are decidedly anti-Israel.

Are Israel's neighbors going to forget about the atrocities Israel is currently committing in the next 10-20 years?  That were repeatedly bombed by Israel?  Will the rest of thenworld forget?  Without US support, Israel is sitting pretty lonely in the middle of a bunch of countries that they have bad blood with.

Middleclassass

Not our country.  Not our problem.  And the stuff being done to the native population there is horrifying.  When we back the ones doing it that makes us complicit.  And thanks to the internet there's no pulling strings in the one-way broadcast media to cover it up anymore.  The world is seeing all of this raw and unfiltered and reacting accordingly.

I do also think this is why Israel is being so aggressive right now.  They know their free ride regarding public perception is coming to an end and that shortly afterwards the support they're used to having from world governments is also going to end.  So they're trying to grab what they can while they can.

AwardImmediate720

This is unsurprising. We just saw photos of a child who was medevaced out of Gaza over a month ago and born with a genetic disorder/cerebral palsy plastered across front pages [as proof of starvation](https://honestreporting.com/another-photo-another-lie/). That photo was seen and believed by world leaders.

We see reports from media outlets about deaths by people “seeking aid”, entirely reliant on Hamas for the death toll and the context, which is sometimes buried deep in the article (for example, in one instance, [the “aid seekers” ignored warning shots and approached soldiers at midnight when aid distribution was closed over a mile away from the site](https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinians-say-at-least-26-killed-near-gaza-aid-sites-idf-says-troops-fired-warning-shots/).

Meanwhile, media outlets are barely reporting on the Israeli hostages that Hamas is starving while its own warehouses are full and fighters are fed. [This Israeli hostage is in a video they just released](https://x.com/efischberger/status/1950996669895430648). **His** photo isn’t being plastered across the front of the NYT.

They are barely reporting on the fact that Hamas [has attacked and killed aid workers and placed a bounty on their heads.](https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2025/06/hamas-places-bounty-on-aid-workers-ghf.php) Outlets are barely reporting on Hamas [starting aid site stampedes by stabbing people](https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/07/17/gaza-humanitarian-foundation-blames-hamas-affiliates-for-stampede-and-stabbing-at-aid-site/).

The BBC just put out a memo telling its reporters [that they have to criticize Israel](https://archive.ph/2025.07.30-113613/https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-leaked-email-that-blows-apart-the-bbcs-impartiality-claims-over-gaza/). This probably helps explain why they breathlessly interviewed a former contractor working at aid sites who claimed Israel committed “war crimes”, without realizing he was [a complete liar who told the aid organization he was going to lie about Israel if they didn’t rehire him because he got fired for inappropriate behavior.](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/ex-us-contractor-who-accused-idf-of-war-crimes-at-aid-sites-falsified-documents-to-spread-false-narrative-ghf-says-sharing-evidence/), which they showed in screenshots.

When you have a concerted media campaign with outlets abandoning all pretense to fairness in a conflict people know very little about, this is no shock.

And of course, it isn’t helped by the focus on the fringe ministers (3-4 of the 34 ministers) in the Israeli government saying ridiculous things and not being fired, even if they are being rebuked by the Prime Minister.

But at the same time, other polls show most Americans agree with Israel’s overall positions, as [this poll shows](https://harvardharrispoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/HHP_July_2025_KeyResults.pdf):

* 77% support Israel over Hamas.

* 80% believe Hamas must release all hostages unconditionally.

* 56% think Israel should only make a ceasefire deal if it includes Hamas leaving Gaza.

* 53% support Trump’s handling of the conflict.

So while the media and Israeli own goals certainly make the “handling” of the war look bad, the core of the war is still something Americans understand, and think should not end until Hamas is gone.

justafutz

I think a lot of this has to do with Trump.  A sizable chunk of the population will oppose Trump no matter what - whether it’s being in favor of open borders or opposing Israel.  It won’t matter while Trump is president, and I have serious doubts that the next Democratic president will truly turn their back on Israel, especially if Netanyahu is no longer in power.

FosterFl1910

Submission statement:  
In new polling by Gallup support for the Gaza war in the US has reached a new low point at just 32% with gaps depending up political ideology , gender and age.

Key points:

Political views:  
The biggest gap factor is clearly political views based on absolute differences.  
Republicans' Support for Israel's war is at 71% , while just 8% of Democrats do the same.

Age:  
There is a significant age gap in political support as well.  
Specifically, support of the war with those aged 55+ is at (49%) while those under 34 have support for Israel's war at just (9%).

Gender:  
There is a gender gap in support specifically 41% of men support Israel's war while just 24% women do.  
\------------------------------------

Personal opinion:  
It seems to be that republican politicians are much more aligned with their base compared to democrats at least on the issue of Israel.  
Most democrat politicians today are pro-Israel (especially those in top ranks) and that is unlikely to change for now despite this new approval reality.  
I say unlikely because in general it is difficult to primary politicians.  
The vast majority win the primary with little fanfare and only in very rare cases it works out.Also keep in mind democrats have less of culture of challenging their incumbents in primaries compared to the more populist republicans.   
Pro-Israeli democrats are in a tough position trying to attack trump while also supporting his Middle eastern polices.  
Biden's approach of supporting Israeli while also pushing humanitarianism didn't really work out.

the_letter_777

I wonder why we back Israel at all.


They don't do anything for us now and wouldn't/couldn't defend us if we needed it.  They don't need our help to defeat any conventional army in the middle east and we don't need theirs.

publicdefecation

j53056111

That building looked like it was already pretty much destroyed and the explosions took place at the very bottom of the building.

DorkyDorkington

They are just leveling the entire place so they can sell it to real estate developers after the genocide is complete. It’s obvious to anyone paying attention.

ComradeOb

Democratic support for Israel is one of the most important reasons why young people will never support the party. 

Release the Epstein files.

Alarming_Jacket3876

Gotta love how you can see multiple projectiles come in and hit the base of the building and people are STILL hung up on whether or not it was a controlled demo. Oh let me guess, AI? Hope the building was empty, and wondering if the info is true. Feel like a high rise wouldn't be the best spot for a weapons depot.

ChadHazelnut

Israel’s aim is to put Gaza back 15-20 years then give it back. Evil regime given a licence to operate by the USA

40smokey

Is it cheaper to level a city with military ordinance or to hire a demolition company to level each structure in a professional manner?

buzzbash

Should change their name to Israel war forces (the way they leveling down Gaza and it's people), like Trump is changing to dept of war.

Pixie16fire

Netanyahu is an Imperialist Asshat!!! Israel should remember how it felt when Hitler took everything from them. It’s hard to believe that they would do this to someone else. What Hamas did was reprehensible, but what the IDF is doing is beyond words. A crime against humanity. I know that the real Israeli people are better than this! 🙏🏼

Originalsocialninja

SynsDad

Why do the videos look the same but the destruction of the building is different?

saint1street

Should probably fire Hamas seems like they're doing a bad job

Informal_Dish5516

That looked like a controlled demolition, but it was still a demolition of peoples homes. I guess they won't be satisfied until *every* home is destroyed.

PreparationKey2843

Olive_1084

Good. The building was in critical condition and could hurt someone.

Ratilda_

xosiris

This sub is a constant post of misinformation. Obviously a controlled demolition of that building. How it got that way well we all know the reason.

InevitableOk5017

Appropriate-Cup-2693

Terrible_Lunch5630

Israeli forces continue their military offensive in Gaza City, resulting in significant casualties and stirring a humanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands displaced.

Israeli Military Operations in Gaza

Why This Matters

Public Sentiment Summary

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What the people want