The U.S. approval rating of Israel’s war in Gaza continues to decrease the longer the conflict persists, July polling data shows.
Sixty percent of Americans disapprove of the Israel-Hamas war, compared to 32% of respondents who approve, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday. The approval rating sets a record low since the pollster started asking the question in November 2023, one month after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
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The disapproval rating previously peaked at 55% in March 2024 before dropping to 48% later that year.
The dip in approval is primarily caused by Democrats and independents, whose support for Israel’s military action in Gaza plummeted to 8% and 25%, respectively, this month. Meanwhile, 71% of Republicans continue to back Israel amid the conflict.
The new poll comes as Israel continues fighting Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group backed by Iran. Israel has faced heavy scrutiny over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Palestinians face a widespread food shortage. Critics say the Jewish state is not doing enough to supply Palestinian civilians with humanitarian aid, which Israel claims is being stolen by Hamas. The Israeli military has confirmed reports of soldiers shooting toward those getting aid.
The Trump administration is attempting to negotiate peace between the two sides, but no lasting ceasefire has been reached as Hamas keeps the remaining 50 Israeli hostages captive. Peace efforts faced a setback last week when Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff ended ceasefire talks early in Doha, Qatar. The decision was made due to Hamas’s “selfish” actions, Witkoff said.
The Middle Eastern conflict took a turn last month when Israel targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting the United States to get involved.
Americans appear to approve of Israel’s military action against Iran more so than in Gaza, according to Gallup, with 38% approval and 54% disapproval. Of those who approve, 78% of Republicans favor Israel’s attacks on Iran, in contrast to 31% of independents and 12% of Democrats who feel the same.
Moreover, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received his highest unfavorable rating among Americans since 1997. More than half of respondents have an unfavorable opinion of Netanyahu, compared to 29% who view him favorably. Again, Republicans (67%) constitute the majority of Netanyahu’s favorable rating.
As Gallup conducted the poll earlier this month, Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump at the White House with the hopes of reaching a ceasefire. No such deal was reached. Recent peace talks ended early, after the U.S. and Israel rejected a proposal from Hamas. They said the proposal showed that Hamas was not acting “in good faith.”
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Gallup said its results reflect the “increasingly skeptical and divided American public” that “poses a challenge for Israeli leadership and U.S. policymakers who are seeking to navigate the conflict.”
The pollster conducted the survey from July 7 to July 21 among 1,002 U.S. adults randomly selected, with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4 percentage points.