Over 70% of US voters back Israeli offensive in Rafah to defeat Hamas — poll

An overwhelming majority of Americans believe Israel should go ahead with an offensive in Rafah in order to end the war against Hamas, according to a new Harvard CAPS Harris poll.

The question posed to respondents is “should Israel move forward with an operation in Rafah to finish the war with Hamas, doing its best to avoid civilian casualties even though there will be casualties, or should it back off now and allow Hamas to continue running Gaza?”

In response, 72% say Israel should move forward with the operation while 28% say it should back off and allow Hamas to keep ruling Gaza.

Overall, 78% of poll participants say Hamas should be removed from power but are divided on what should come after, with 30% saying Israel should administer Gaza, 35% saying the Palestinian Authority should, and the other 35% saying a new authority should be established with the participation of Arab countries.