Americans Overwhelmingly Support Israel Over Hamas, New Poll Shows University Protesters Outnumbered

A new poll shows that the vast majority of Americans support Israel in its war against Hamas against the militant group, despite pro-Palestinian protests erupting in the United States.

The Harvard CAPS-Harris Survey found that 80 percent of registered voters are more supportive of Israel in the war, while only 20 percent say they are more supportive of Hamas.

The results are more divided across age groups, with older voters more likely to support Israel than younger Americans.

The poll’s findings are similar to those from last month, when 79 percent said they are more supportive of Israel.

Among younger Americans, 64 percent of those aged 25 to 34 said they support Israel more, while 57 percent of those aged 18 to 24 said they support Israel more, while the remainder support Hamas more.

It comes as pro-Palestinian protests take place on college campuses across the country, with students setting up encampments, including at schools such as Columbia and New York University, University of Pennsylvania, Virginia Tech and University of Georgia.

In many of the cases, students have demanded that universities divest from Israeli-linked companies that protesters claim are profiting from the war in Gaza.

Depending on the location, protesters have faced police arrests and sometimes suspensions.

School administrators have called on police to remove encampments and protesters at schools including Harvard, Columbia, Emory, NYU, USC, the University of Texas, Cal-Berkley and Brown.

The exact wording of the poll is very important for the response. Although the vast majority of registered voters support Israel over Hamas, when asked about a permanent ceasefire, 70 percent, not Hamas, said they favor a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

But when asked whether they were for or against a ceasefire if it meant Hamas could continue to hold hostages and govern Gaza, 68 percent were against, also across age groups.

The poll also showed that the majority believe that a ceasefire should only be achieved after the release of all Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 Hamas attack.

61 percent said this should be a condition for the ceasefire, while 39 percent favor an unconditional ceasefire.

However, young voters were more likely to support an unconditional ceasefire, as 67 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds supported it, which would keep everyone in place.

But 76 percent of those aged 55 to 64 support a ceasefire only if Hamas is removed from power and hostages are released. Among people over 65, this rises to 80 percent.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept an “extremely generous” ceasefire proposal during a visit to Saudi Arabia where he attended a meeting of the World Economic Forum.

Blinken said Hamas is the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept an “extremely generous” ceasefire proposal that would lead to the return of hostages seized by Hamas fighters during the Oct. 7 attack in Israel.

A view of the destruction following an Israeli attack on a building in Rafah, Gaza on April 29

During the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 253 hostages were captured. It is believed that around 130 hostages are still being held in Gaza.

Israel responded to the attack by mounting a large-scale operation in Gaza. About 34,500 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to Gaza health authorities.

The poll found that 67 percent believe Israel is trying to prevent civilian casualties in the fight against Hamas, up from 66 percent who said the same in March. 33 percent believe that Israel does not try to prevent casualties.

The US on Monday announced a damning assessment that five units of the Israeli army had committed “gross human rights violations”, which could lead to the suspension of aid.

The Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that five Israeli units had committed “gross violations of human rights.” Four of the units were found to have ‘effectively addressed these violations’

Meanwhile, as the war rages on, an overwhelming majority of registered voters agree that Hamas should be removed from Gaza, but there is disagreement over who should take control.

78 percent said Hamas should be removed from Gaza’s administration, with a majority among every age group except 18- to 24-year-olds, with 53 percent saying Hamas should continue to govern Gaza.

But if Hamas were removed, registered voters are divided over who should have authority there; 35 percent say Israel, 30 percent say the Palestinian Authority and 35 percent say a new authority has been set up with Arab countries.

Younger registered voters are more likely to favor the Palestinian Authority, while older voters expressed support for a new authority to be established jointly with Arab countries.

Overall, the vast majority (71 percent) believe that the crisis in Gaza was largely caused by Hamas.