A new survey asking about the onslaught in Gaza found Americans continue to shift away from supporting Israel.
The poll conducted by The New York Times and Siena found 40% of Americans believe Israel is intentionally killing innocent Palestinians in Gaza, compared to just 16% who said Israel is not intentionally killing civilians.
In the past two years, Israel has killed at least 66,000 people in Gaza, with experts believing the actual death toll is in the hundreds of thousands. Data obtained by 972 Magazine found that at least 83% of people killed by Israel in Gaza are civilians.
Israeli soldiers have discussed intentionally targeting civilians. A sniper told Haaretz he was ordered to open fire on Palestinians seeking aid, including children. Additionally, 972 Magazine reported that the IDF had a program dubbed “Where’s Daddy” that called for waiting until suspected Hamas members returned home before bombing the entire family.
In December 2023, only 22% of Americans believed Israel was intentionally killing civilians.
Additionally, the Times poll released on Monday found that more Americans, 36%, sympathize more with the Palestinians, versus 35% who side with the Israelis. That is a sharp reversal from October 2023, when nearly half of Americans sympathized with Israelis, compared to just 20% who sided with the Palestinians.
The shifting views on how Israel is conducting the war have led to more Americans opposing sending military aid to Israel. 51% of Americans oppose continuing to provide Israel with weapons, while just 39% want Washington to continue sending billions in military assistance to Tel Aviv.
The US provides Israel with at least $3.8 billion in military assistance annually. In the year after the October 7 Hamas attack, Washington sent Tel Aviv over $20 billion in weapons.
