Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Global Stage live premiere at 12pm ET WATCH
Analysis

Poll: Americans split on military response to hostage crisis

Poll: Americans split on military response to hostage crisis
Luisa Vieira

As negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire enter what officials describe as a “decisive and final phase,” GZERO’s exclusive poll reveals deep divisions among Americans over potential US military involvement in securing hostage releases. The survey, done in partnership with Echelon Insights, comes as Israel and Hamas appear close to agreeing on a staged ceasefire plan that would include the release of remaining hostages.


Thirty-four percent of Americans support direct US military intervention if Hamas fails to release the remaining hostages, while 29% prefer increased military support to Israel without direct US involvement. Only 15% oppose any military action, while 22% are unsure.

The poll results emerge as peace prospects improve, with both Israeli and Palestinian officials signaling progress in negotiations. It’s also a process that the US is very keen to see succeed. Trump’s team has reportedly been working alongside Biden officials for weeks to secure a ceasefire deal before the president-elect takes office — with Trump repeatedly threatening that if the hostages are not home by Jan. 20, inauguration day, “all hell is going to break out.”

More For You

​German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sit at the start of the E-3 meeting in Munich, Germany, on February 13, 2026.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sit at the start of the E-3 meeting, during the Munich Security Conference (MSC), in Munich, Germany, on February 13, 2026.

Thomas Kienzle/Pool via REUTERS
For the first three weeks of the Iran conflict, Europe made its position clear: this isn’t our war. Many countries on the continent joined the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, a move that wrought casualties and sweeping political backlash at home. They want to avoid a repeat – especially when the European public largely opposes this war, too.Then, [...]
​Liberia-flagged Aframax tanker Suvorovsky Prospect discharges fuel oil from Russia at the Matanzas terminal, in Matanzas, Cuba, on July 16, 2022.

Liberia-flagged Aframax tanker Suvorovsky Prospect discharges fuel oil from Russia at the Matanzas terminal, in Matanzas, Cuba, on July 16, 2022.

REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini
What is Vladimir Putin thinking? It’s certainly not the first time we’ve asked the question: for 25 years, the wily ex-spy has shown a penchant for testing geopolitical limits, wrongfooting his opponents, and craftily antagonizing his adversaries. The latest episode is taking place on the high seas, where a tanker laden with some 730,000 barrels [...]
QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas production facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar, on March 2, 2026.

QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas production facilities, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar, on March 2, 2026.

REUTERS/Stringer
Air defense batteries moved out of Asia. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Growing domestic frustration with the Trump administration. Formula 1 races in the Gulf canceled.The secondary effects of the US-Israel war with Iran have been expansive. But no specific issue has perhaps been more pressing for governments than the fuel shortages [...]
Putin looks on over missiles flying between Israel and Iran.

Putin looks on over missiles flying between Israel and Iran.

Three weeks into the US-Israeli war against Iran, the list of losers is unusually long. Iran is getting devastated. The United States is trapped in an asymmetric conflict it can't exit. Gulf states are absorbing infrastructure damage they never signed up for. The developing world is facing food and energy crises. I could keep going.Washington and [...]