2/3 of Democrats say Israel committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza

Nearly half of Americans now believe Israel is committing genocide, including two-thirds of Democrats, as support for US military aid plummets.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Nearly half of American adults, including roughly two-thirds of Democrats, now believe Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, according to a new poll.

The Economist/YouGov survey, conducted among 1,702 self-identified adult US citizens from August 1st through the 4th, found a sharp increase in the percentage of Democrats who believe Israel is committing genocide against Palestinian civilians.

While 45% of Democrats answered in the affirmative in January 2024, that figure rose to 65% in August 2025.

That rise among Democrats was the primary driver in the increase among the general population from 31% in January 2024 to 43% in the latest poll.

Less than a fifth (19%) of Republicans believe Israel is committing genocide, up just two points since January 2024.

The poll also found that 78% of Americans back a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

More than two-thirds (71%) of Americans believe Hamas claims of a “hunger crisis” in Gaza, including 87% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans.

A wide partisan gap was found on support for Palestinian statehood, with 70% of Democrats backing the establishment of such a state, compared to just 23% of Republicans. Nearly half (49%) of Americans say they support Palestinian statehood, compared to 17% who oppose it.

A plurality of Americans (41%) agree with the statement: “Israel’s attacks on Gaza are unjustified and harm too many innocent Palestinians.”

Less than one-third (32%) said they believe Israeli attacks on Hamas in Gaza are justified.

Americans are more evenly divided on their views of President Donald Trump’s policies vis-à-vis Israel, with 36% saying they believe he is too supportive of Israel, compared to 32% who say his support is “about right.” Only 7% say he is not sufficiently supportive of Israel.

The percentage of Americans who sympathize more with Israelis than with Palestinians has fallen sharply since 2023, reaching a peak of 48% in October of that year, before falling to 29% in the new poll.

By contrast, 26% of Americans now say they sympathize more with Palestinians, up from 9% in October 2023.

The poll found Americans are strongly divided on whether aid to Gaza should be increased (38%) or either reduced or maintained at its present level (42%).

Support for American military aid to Israel has declined since late 2023, with the percentage of Americans who say it should be either halted or reduced rising from 23% in November 2023 to 42% in August 2025.