President Joe Biden is in trouble with young voters as he loses approval on both sides over his handling of the war in Gaza, a new poll shows.
Thirty-three percent of New York Times/Sienna College respondents poll said they approved of Biden's handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while 57 percent said they disapproved.
At the same time, more respondents thought Trump could handle the conflict better than Biden — 46 percent to 38 percent.
The president is particularly bothered by young voters, usually a reliable Democratic base. Three-quarters of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 disagree with Biden's handling of the conflict in Gaza.
President Joe Biden is in trouble with young voters as he loses approval on both sides over his handling of the war in Gaza, a new poll shows.
Another shock is that young voters are now choosing Trump: 49 percent said they would support the former president over the current one in the next election, compared to 43 percent who said they would support Biden.
Months ago, in July, young voters supported Biden over Trump by 10 points.
Voters overall support Trump over Biden by 46 to 44 percent, according to the poll.
Economic concerns remain high on the agenda, but are less prominent than a few months ago. Thirty-four percent of registered voters cite economic or inflation-related concerns as their top concern, up from 45 percent in October 2022.
When asked what they think Israel's course of action should be – halting the bombing campaign or continuing the bombing campaign, a slim majority, 44 percent, say Israel should halt its military campaign to protect civilian casualties.
About 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since the October 7 attack, according to the Hamas-affiliated Health Ministry in Gaza.
Slightly fewer, 39 percent, believe Israel should continue its offensive, even if it means more civilian casualties.
Nearly half of young people believe that Israel deliberately kills civilians. Three-quarters say Israel is not taking enough precautions to prevent civilian casualties.
The broader electorate of all ages is more pro-Israel. Yet some 48 percent said they believe Israel is not being careful enough to prevent civilian casualties.
The conflict exposes deep divisions between parties.
Seventy-six percent of Republicans said they sympathized with Israel and the Palestinians, while only 31 percent of Democrats said the same. Another 34 percent said they sympathized more with the Palestinians and 16 percent said they sympathized with both sides.
Nearly three-quarters of Jewish Americans identify as Democrats, but Republicans have for years implored them to flee the party they accuse of undermining Israel's government.
After weeks of staunch support for the Israeli offensive, the White House has only recently begun to expose itself and the military campaign.
The White House said Monday it had spoken to the Israeli government about the killing of two women sheltering in a Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, saying better deconfliction is needed to protect civilians and humanitarian workers.
“We have raised our concerns about this specific incident with the Israeli government – about the need for those who have been injured or injured to be safely evacuated so that they can receive appropriate medical treatment,” a White House spokesperson said. John Kirby told reporters.
Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar Kamal Anton were taking shelter in the Holy Family, the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, when they were killed by a sniper.
Kirby said President Joe Biden, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Defense Secretary Llyod Austin have all raised concerns with Israel about ensuring civilians and humanitarian workers are not at risk.
Another seven people were shot and wounded by Israeli forces as they tried to protect others in the compound from the deadly attack.
The Israeli military said the incident was still under investigation, but stressed it “was not directed against civilians, regardless of their religion.”
But the approximately 300 people still trapped in the church have described how Israeli tanks and snipers surrounded the walled compound and shot at anyone who emerged from the buildings there.
They say Israeli tanks fired at the church but missed it by just inches and instead disabled the building's generator and fuel supply, making it uninhabitable for the women, children and disabled people who fled there .
The Church of the Holy Family has been a refuge for hundreds of Christians since war broke out following Hamas' deadly attack on Israelis. There are also 54 disabled people who seek shelter there.
The IDF separately acknowledged the deaths of three Israeli hostages in Gaza on Friday, expressing its “deep regret over the tragic incident” in a statement and saying it had immediately launched an investigation.
Last week, Biden said at a campaign reception that Israel is losing support because of its “indiscriminate bombing campaign” and claimed the current administration does not want a two-state solution.
Biden speculated that Israel must “strengthen and change” its government to maintain support around the world.
A senior US official said National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made it clear in Israel this week that Netanyahu must complete his country's bombing campaign on Gaza within “weeks, not months.”
Israel lost about 1,200 people when Hamas launched an attack on October 7.