WASHINGTON (Reuters)-A majority of 58% of Americans believe that all United Nations countries should recognize Palestine as a nation, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos research as Israel and Hamas consider a possible truce in the war that lasts almost two years.
About 33% of respondents did not agree that UN members should recognize a Palestinian state and 9% did not respond.
The six-day survey, closed on Monday, was conducted weeks after three countries, Canada, the United Kingdom and France, allies near the US, announced that they intend to recognize the state of Palestine. This increased the pressure on Israel as hunger spreads in Gaza.
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The research was conducted amid the hope that Israel and Hamas agree with a ceasefire to interrupt the fighting, free some hostages and facilitate the sending of humanitarian assistance.
Two authorities said on Tuesday that Israel was studying Hamas’s response to a possible 60-day truce and the release of half of Israeli hostages still kept in Gaza.
United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and several of its European allies last week stated that the humanitarian crisis at the war -ravaged Palestinian enclave has reached “unimaginable levels,” with aid groups warning that Gaza’s inhabitants are on the brink of hunger.
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The United Nations Human Rights Office said on Tuesday that Israel was not allowing enough Gaza’s sufficient supplies to prevent widespread hunger. Israel denied responsibility for hunger in Gaza, accusing Hamas of stealing help loads, which Hamas denies.
A vast majority of Research respondents Reuters/Ipsos, 65%, said the US should act in Gaza to help people who face hunger, and 28% disagreed. The number of disagreements included 41% of Republicans, President Donald Trump’s party.
Trump and many of his republican colleagues adopt the “America First” approach in international relations, supporting sharp cuts in international medical and food assistance programs in the country, believing that US funds should help Americans, not those outside their borders.
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The war in Gaza began when combatants led by Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and hostage, according to Israeli data. Since then, Israel’s offensive has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, plunged Gaza into a humanitarian crisis and has moved most of its population, according to Gaza’s health officials.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey also showed that 59% of Americans believe that Israel’s military response in Gaza was excessive. Thirty -three percent of respondents disagreed.
In a similar Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted in February 2024, 53% of respondents agreed that Israel’s response was excessive and 42% disagreed.
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The latest Reuters/Ipsos research, conducted online, brought together answers from 4,446 US adults across the country and had a margin of error of about 2 percentage points.
By Patricia Zengerle and Jason Lange
