The US public for the first time expressed slightly greater sympathy for Palestinians than Israelis in their conflict, according to a Gallup poll released Friday.

The findings reflected a significant shift in US public opinion after the Gaza war and highlighted deep political divisions over Middle East policy inside the United States.

What did the Gallup poll find?

The poll found that 41% of US voters sympathized more with Palestinians, while 36% said they sided more with Israelis.

The remaining respondents said they supported both sides equally, neither side, or were undecided.

Gallup said the gap was not statistically significant but marked the first time in more than two decades of polling that Israel did not lead.

A year earlier, sympathies favored Israel by 46% to 33%.

The change was largely driven by independents, who favored Palestinians by an 11-point margin.

Among Democrats, 65% said they sympathized more with Palestinians, compared with 17% who backed Israel.

Republicans continued to support Israel strongly, with 70% expressing greater sympathy for Israel.

Gallup said Republican support remained high, despite declining slightly over the past decade.

How has opinion changed over time?

Gallup polling showed that three years earlier, 54% of those surveyed sympathized more with Israelis compared with 31% for Palestinians.

Gallup said its data showed sentiment had already begun changing before the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Researchers said the shift accelerated during the Gaza war.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

Democratic views toward Israel have grown more critical over the past decade.

Analysts linked part of the shift to opposition to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , who had clashed with former US President Barack Obama over Iran policy.

Some Democratic voters also criticized former President Joe Biden for not doing more to restrain Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

The issue became a major point of debate within Democratic politics during recent elections.

Gallup surveyed 1,001 US adults by telephone between February 2 and February 16.

Edited by: Rana Taha