More Voters Than Ever Want to See Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire

Sign up to get the latest data and analysis on how business, politics and economics intersect around the world.

The U.S. electorate is more likely to support a cease-fire in the latest Israel-Hamas conflict than ever before, as sympathies toward the Israelis have increased a bit and fewer voters are attuned to the events of the war in Gaza. 

According to Morning Consult’s latest monthly tracking of public sentiment about the war, 66% of U.S. voters said they support calls for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, up from 53% when we first asked the question in November and up from 59% at the end of May.

The increase in support for a cease-fire was driven by a major boost in backing from Republican voters, from 45% last month to 59% in our latest survey, mirroring the level of support among independent voters and just slightly short of the record 75% of Democrats who back the move.

Despite voters’ increased support for a cease-fire — a stance most often associated with pro-Palestinian voices — our June survey showed a modest uptick in sympathy for the Israeli public from across the political spectrum. 

A third of voters said they are most sympathetic with the Israelis (up from 28% last month), while a third said they were most concerned towards both sides equally (down from 36%). Another 14% said they cared the most about the Palestinian people, virtually matching our previous monthly surveys since an uptick in February. 

While the Israelis may be garnering more sympathy, voters continue to be far more likely to back assistance for the war-torn Palestinian people than they are the Israeli military.

Three in 5 voters support the United States providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, in line with our monthly surveys conducted since the war began in October, while 45% support U.S. military assistance for Israel, up slightly from a 41% nadir last month.

The bottom line

Our latest gauge of Americans’ views about the ongoing war in Gaza came in a month that featured the lowest level of public awareness about the conflict since it began in October. 

A cumulative look at Morning Consult weekly tracking surveys conducted in June show that 42% of voters reported having seen, read or heard “nothing” about the war, up from 36% the month before. 

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for his speech to a joint meeting of Congress later this month, the good news is that the lack of voter awareness about the war appears to be helping revive American sympathy for his country following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack and the Israeli military campaign that ensued.

On the other hand, the American people — and notably Republicans, a group that’s been inclined to align with Israel even through the long and brutal stages of the campaign — are itching for the hostilities to end more so than ever before. This could add some political pressure to the Biden administration’s push for a cease-fire deal with Hamas ahead of Netanyahu’s planned July 24 visit to Washington.