More Americans disapprove (42%) than approve (30%) of the Trump administration’s response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. About a quarter (27%) say they are unsure.
And 36% of Americans say President Donald Trump is favoring Israel too much in the conflict (up from 31% in March), while 23% say he is striking the right balance. Few (2%) say he is favoring the Palestinians too much. More than a third – 38% – say they are not sure.
- Americans are also more likely to say the United States is giving too much military assistance to Israel than to say it is providing the right amount or giving too little.
- Conversely, more Americans say the U.S. is not giving enough humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza than say it is giving too much or about the right amount.
- Sizable shares of Americans say they are unsure about both of these questions.
The remainder of this chapter explores these views in more detail, including substantial age and partisan differences.
For more on Americans’ views of the Israeli and Palestinian people, as well as the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, visit Chapter 2.
For more on concerns about the conflict, visit Chapter 3.
The Trump administration’s response to the conflict
Younger Americans are generally less likely than older Americans to approve of the Trump administration’s response to the conflict in Gaza, but they are also far more likely to not express an opinion.
- While adults ages 18 to 29 are more than twice as likely to disapprove (44%) than approve (16%) of the Trump administration’s response, 37% do not express an opinion.
- By comparison, those 50 and older are split in their views (39% approve, 39% disapprove), with 21% being unsure.
Republicans and Democrats are deeply divided over the Trump administration’s response. While Republicans and GOP-leaning independents are three times as likely to approve (54%) as disapprove (18%), Democrats and Democratic leaners disapprove by an even wider margin (67% disapprove, 9% approve).
Do Americans think Trump is favoring one side in the conflict?
Americans are far more likely to say Trump is favoring the Israelis too much (36%) than to say he is favoring the Palestinians too much (2%). About a quarter (23%) say Trump is striking the right balance, while a sizable share (38%) say they are unsure.
Republicans continue to be substantially more likely than Democrats to view Trump as striking the right balance (42% vs. 7%).
But in both parties the shares saying Trump is favoring the Israelis too much have ticked up since March:
- 57% of Democrats say this today, up from 50%.
- 18% of Republicans say this today, up from 13%.
U.S. military aid to Israel and humanitarian aid to Palestinians
Americans’ views about military assistance to Israel and humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians largely are the reverse of each other.
- A third of Americans say the U.S. is providing too much military assistance to Israel, with 8% saying it is not providing enough.
- Nearly the opposite is true for humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians: 35% say the U.S. is not providing enough, with 9% saying it is providing too much.
On both measures, large shares express uncertainty (35% respond to each question that they are unsure), while roughly two-in-ten say the assistance is about right.
Views by age
The view that the U.S. is providing the right amount of each type of assistance increases substantially with age.
Military aid to Israel
While 42% of adults 18 to 29 say the U.S. is providing too much military aid to Israel, this share drops to 24% among those 65 and older.
By comparison, those 65 and older are more than twice as likely as adults under 30 to say the U.S. is providing about the right amount of aid to Israel (34% vs. 13%).
Humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians
Adults 65 and older are closely split on whether the U.S. is providing not enough (34%) or the right amount (31%) of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians (5% say it is providing too much).
By comparison, 41% of those 18 to 29 say the U.S. is not providing enough, with smaller shares saying the U.S. is providing about the right amount (10%) or too much aid (11%).
Views by party
About half of Democrats say the U.S. is providing too much military support to Israel (49%), while an even larger share (58%) say the U.S. is not giving enough support to Palestinian civilians.
Among Republicans who hold an opinion, more say that the U.S. is providing about the right amount when it comes to each form of aid than too much or too little.
