New JFNA survey finds most Americans want ceasefire deal to include release of hostages

The top priority for Americans and American Jews in a ceasefire deal is the release of the hostages, according to a survey from the Jewish Federations of North America released on Thursday. 

The following priorities are the removal of Hamas from government and disarmament of the group, JFNA said in a release explaining the results of the survey. 

The survey was conducted by text message between February 23 and March 11, with a sample size of 1,901 American Jews and 4,143 American non-Jews. It was weighted to reflect the general population, the release said. 

“Despite the length of the war, and unrelenting biased media coverage, Americans understand that Israel’s fight against terrorism is also our fight. They know that a ceasefire without the return of the hostages and the eventual defeat of Hamas is wrong for Israel, wrong for Americans, and wrong for the free world,” JFNA President and CEO Eric Fingerhut said.

‘American-Israeli ties remain strong’

“The deep bond between the American and Israeli people remains as strong as ever despite the difficult political challenges of the past six months,” he added. 

Just 28% of Americans support an unconditional ceasefire that would leave Hamas in power and hostages in their hands, according to the release

The most recent ceasefire proposal has linked a temporary ceasefire with the release of hostages. 

The survey also found Americans and Jewish Americans have a great deal of empathy for the plight of Palestinians. 

JFNA said that despite the ongoing support for Israel, news of the war has taken a deep, emotional toll on the American Jewish community – more so than in October – likely driven by the rise in antisemitism in the US. 

American Jews are nearly twice as likely to say they felt at least “somewhat concerned” for their personal safety as the general population. Jews who wore “distinctively Jewish” items were nearly three times as likely to report being concerned for their safety “all the time” as Jews who did not. 

These fears likely fueled a trend of 25% of Jews hiding distinctively Jewish items such as yarmulkes and Jewish stars, according to the release. 

A large majority of American Jews said they continue to feel strong emotional bonds to Israel, and it makes them proud to be Jewish. 

Among the 29% of American Jews who didn’t feel comfortable supporting Israel in public, over two-thirds said it was because they were concerned about being the target of antisemitism. 

The survey found the few explicit Hamas supporters were the most comfortable being vocal about their positions. 

“It is so important for us to understand the real needs and sentiments of the public around Israel and the war so that we can respond appropriately based on facts and data,” JFNA Chief Impact and Growth Officer Mimi Kravetz said. “We look forward to bringing this data to Federations and partners so that they can further mobilize local resources to provide education, security, and advocacy tools for our communities in the wake of the events of October 7th.”

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