40 percent of Latinos in US want Gaza ceasefire

An Ipsos-Axios poll, published Tuesday, asked 1,000 Latino and Hispanic Americans about their views on the Israel-Hamas war, which has raged on for more than six months since the group launched a surprise attack on southern Israel that killed more than 1,100 people.

The group was split over the extent of U.S. involvement in the conflict. Pollsters found that 40 percent support a U.S. push for an immediate cease-fire, while 39 percent said the U.S. should not be involved. About 16 percent said the U.S. should continue to support Israel with arms and funds.

The president is facing increasing pressure from both lawmakers and voters over the worsening conditions in Gaza, where more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed since early October.

The pressure ramped up last week after an Israeli airstrike killed six aid workers with the World Central Kitchen and their Palestinian air driver. The group was delivering aid to a warehouse in central Gaza when the strike hit at night.

Biden issued his sharped criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in the wake of the attack, telling him in a phone call that U.S. policy on the war could change should Israel not take the “immediate” steps to prevent a worsening humanitarian situation.

It marked a notable shift from the president and follows a series of findings that showed most Americans disapproved Biden’s handling of the conflict.

The poll found Biden’s favorability among Latinos, a key voter group for the incumbent, has fallen by 6 points since the summer. Biden’s main 2024 rival, former President Trump, saw a rise in support by 3 points.

The findings come as President Biden works to reach and secure voters of color ahead of the November election. Last month, Biden’s reelection campaign dropped a Latino-focused ad targeting Trump for his controversial comments about immigrants in which he claimed immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of America.

The Axios/Ipsos poll was conducted with Noticias Telemundo from March 22-24, with a sample of 1,012 Latino/Hispanic adults. The margin of error is 3.6 percentage points.