Most US voters support calls to 'eradicate' Hamas after deadly terror attacks on Israel

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, October 17, 2023

While most American voters agree with calls to eradicate Hamas following the terrorist group’s surprise assault against Israel during a Jewish holiday, who voters hold responsible for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict differs among party lines, according to a recent survey. 

According to a poll published Friday by Rasmussen Reports, 53% of likely U.S. voters believe Palestinians are responsible for the conflict with Israel, while 10% say Israel is at fault. Twenty-four percent believe both sides are equally responsible for the conflict, and another 13% said that they’re unsure who is to blame. 

The national telephone and online survey assessed 1,007 U.S. likely voters from Oct. 10-12, and Pulse Opinion Research, LLC conducted the fieldwork for the poll. The survey’s margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. 

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Among party lines, Republicans (66%) were more likely than Democrats (40%) to hold Palestinians responsible for the conflict, while twice as many Democrats (14%) as Republicans (7%) said that Israel is to blame. 

Fifty-four percent of voters unaffiliated with either party held the same stance as Republicans, believing that Palestinians are primarily responsible for the conflict, compared to 9% who said Israel is mostly to blame.

Opinions about who is responsible for the conflict differed among racial groups, as white voters (56%) were more likely than black voters (41%) or other minorities (50%) to say that Palestinians are mostly to blame for the conflict with Israel. 

Older voters are also more likely to side with Israel, with 67% of voters 65 and older saying Palestinians are responsible for the conflict, an opinion they share with 57% of voters ages 40 to 64. Only 33% of voters 40 and younger said that Palestinians are responsible for the conflict, and voters younger than 40 were significantly more likely to blame Israel. 

The voters who blame Israel for the conflict also said the United States is too supportive of Israel, while voters who hold Palestinians responsible (79%) said the United States does not do enough for Israel. 

Forty-six percent of Republicans said that the United States does not do enough to support Israel, and 31% of unaffiliated voters said the same. Democrats were the least likely to say that the United States does not do enough to support Israel, with only 23% saying the country is not supportive enough of Israel. 

The survey also asked participants how closely they had been following news about the recent attacks against Israel. Eighty-four percent answered that they had been following the situation, while 53% said they’d been following the news “Very Closely.” Forty percent of people in the latter group said the U.S. is not supportive enough of Israel, and 64% said Palestinians are mostly to blame for the conflict. 

Participants were also asked if they agreed with a statement Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., posted on X on Oct. 9, writing that “Israel has no choice but to seek the complete eradication of Hamas in Gaza.” 

Sixty-six percent of voters said they agreed with Rubio, and 41% said they strongly agreed. Another 19% said they disagreed with the Republican’s statement, while 15% said they were unsure. 

There did not appear to be a wide gap among party lines regarding their views on Rubio’s statement, as 74% of Republicans, 62% of Democrats and 61% of unaffiliated voters at least somewhat agreed. 

Hamas’ large-scale offensive against Israel earlier this month resulted in the deaths of more than 1,400 Israelis. At least 30 Americans have been confirmed dead and 13 are missing and possibly held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. 

United Nations Resident Coordinator Lynn Hastings is calling for Hamas to release its hostages and the delivery of “immediate, unconditional access” into Gaza. 

The request comes after Israel instructed 1.1 million Gazan residents to move south, warning that it is no longer safe to remain in the northern part of Gaza as it targets Hamas sites. According to Hastings, the U.N. is working to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, highlighting the dwindling supply of food, water and other essentials. 

“And just like we call for the unconditional release and immediate release of the hostages being held by Hamas, we are also calling for immediate, unconditional access to provide humanitarian assistance,” Hastings said. “And that’s not just to get goods into Gaza, but it’s also to get goods throughout Gaza, which means we need pauses. We need a ceasefire. Our staff need to be able to move safely.” 

As WION reported Monday, a now-deleted X post by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East accused Hamas militants of stealing supplies intended for Palestinian people. The UNRWA later deleted the post and backtracked its initial claim. 

Israel Defense Forces shared screenshots of the deleted posts on X, stating that the “amount of fuel stolen is enough to power Gaza’s water desalination facilities for six days.” 

“Hamas does not care about the people of Gaza,” the IDF wrote. “This remains true even if UNRWA deletes its tweets.”

In response to UNRWA’s now-deleted post, Israel's Energy Minister Israel Katz stated on X Monday that Hamas is stealing humanitarian aid from the Palestinian people, arguing that this is a reason not to allow aid into Gaza until “Nazi Hamas” is eliminated.