Hamas, Gen Z and the 'River to the Sea'

The Israel-Hamas war has divided many in the U.S. but none more than young Americans, who are split 50/50 over which side to support.

A new Harvard CAPS (Center for American Political Studies)/Harris poll released Friday shows that while 81 percent of Americans across all ages say they back Israel in the conflict and 19 percent support Hamas, those from age 18 to 24 are equally split over who they support.

Since Hamas led its deadliest-ever attack on Israel October 7, young people have been at the forefront of the "Free Palestine" movement that have reignited across the nation. Gen Z has mobilized on both college campuses and social media, spurring fierce debate at some of the nation's top educational institutions and suggested that this generation is much less sympathetic to Israel than those before it.

One particularly polarizing aspect of the movement has been the slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." Some have argued that it advocates for the eradication of Israel while others have defended it as a nonviolent call for Palestinian liberation and justice.

The October 7 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and about 240 hostages were seized. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza. Close to 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, with the majority being women and children, according to Palestinian health officials. Israeli military officials say 118 soldiers have been killed during the country's ground invasion.

The majority of young Americans are the only age group where the majority does not want a two-state solution, which is heavily favored by older Americans. More than half of 18- to 24-year-olds want Israel to be ended and given to Hamas and the Palestinians, while 32 percent favor two states.

But the poll also showed there were strong anti-Hamas and pro-Israel sentiments among Gen Z, suggesting the conflict is much more complicated than simply siding with Israel or Palestinians.

Even though most Gen Zers think that Israel should be given to the Palestinians and 76 percent think Hamas can be negotiated with for peace, 58 percent said Hamas should be removed from running Gaza, and a plurality, 45 percent, said Israel should be the one to run Gaza if Hamas is removed.

More than 70 percent of young people said that October 7 was a terrorist attack, with 66 percent believing it was genocidal in nature. But 60 percent also thought the attack could be justified by the grievances of Palestinians, and the same percentage believed Israel is the one committing genocide against those in Gaza.

While opinions about the October 7 attack differ, the poll shows that young adults age 18 to 24 have a slightly more favorable view of Israel than Hamas. Seven-in-10 said that Israel is trying to avoid civilian casualties, while only 58 percent believe the same of Hamas. Additionally, 62 percent said Hamas uses people as human shields and 54 percent said the group was responsible for putting citizens in Gaza in harm's way.

Newsweek reached out to Harvard's Center for American Political Studies via email for comment on Monday.