Most Americans said the Israel-Hamas war will lead to wider conflict in the region involving other countries, according to a survey released on Friday.
Around 63 percent of Americans said the Israel-Hamas war, which is days away from its one-year anniversary, is at least “fairly likely” to lead to a wider war and encompass other countries in the region, according to a recent The Economist /YouGov survey. Some 22 percent were not sure while 15 percent of U.S. adults said it’s “not very likely or not at all likely.”
The war began on Oct. 7 last year after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel and killed around 1,200 Israelis and took some 250 hostages. Since then, the Israeli military’s bombardment of Gaza has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, a tally that does not differentiate combatants from civilians.
Americans sympathize more with the Israelis than with the Palestinians, the poll found. Approximately 33 percent of Americans sympathize with the Israelis while some 24 percent were not sure. Another 24 percent said equal while 19 percent of U.S. adults sympathize with the Palestinians.
When split by party lines, Democrats have more sympathy for the Palestinians while Republicans have the most sympathy for the Israelis.
Around 33 Democrats sympathize with the Palestinians. Nearly one-third of Democrats, 32 percent, said both while 14 percent sympathize with the Israelis, according to the survey. The majority of Republicans, 63 percent, sided only with the Israelis. Fourteen percent said they sympathize with both while only 5 percent of GOP voters sympathized with the Palestinians.
The poll was conducted Sept. 21-24 with respondents being selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel. The margin of error was around 3 percent.