a destroyed building at the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza Strip. Photograph: Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images
Australians are supportive of placing tough sanctions on Israel and its leaders for their role in attacking Gaza, with a new poll finding more than half of voters agree the federal government should extend sanctions placed on Russia to Israel.
The YouGov poll, commissioned by the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) and released Monday, shows the majority of Australians want Israel to end its assault on Gaza, with 69% agreeing – 53% “strongly” agreeing – the Netanyahu government’s military campaign should stop. Fourteen per cent disagreed.
The survey of 1,500 voting-aged Australians suggests the public is broadly supportive of the government playing a more decisive role in bringing the bloody two-year war to an end.
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The poll’s release coincides with a new offensive by Israeli forces on Gaza City as the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, considers a peace and reconstruction plan proposed by the US president, Donald Trump.
It found that 57% of respondents agreed Australia should impose similar sanctions on Israel as those against Russia after its illegal invasion of Ukraine. Of those in favour of sanctions, 34% said they strongly agreed while 24% somewhat agreed.
Those opposed – 21% – were more likely to be older and vote for the Coalition or One Nation. The poll included respondents of all voting intentions, genders, religions and education levels.
In a related but separate question, 54% supported Australia sanctioning Israel’s government and military leaders in response to their actions in Gaza, while 22% were opposed.
Of the Labor voters who responded to the question, 68% expressed support while 9% were against it. Coalition voters were split with 39% in support of sanctions against Israeli leaders while 40% opposed the move.
Support for preventing trade between the Australian government and companies involved in the war in Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank was also broadly supported with 53% – and 33% strongly – in favour. About 19% said they were against halting trade.
Both Labor and Greens supporters were overwhelmingly in favour of stronger sanctions action. Forty-one per cent of Coalition supporters said they agreed with banning trade between the Australian government and companies involved in Gaza and West Bank occupation, while 32% said they were opposed.
Asked whether a genocide is occurring in Gaza after the release of the UN commission of inquiry’s report in September, 58% of respondents agreed while 16% disagreed.
The vast majority of respondents who identified themselves as Labor and Greens supporters agreed a genocide was happening, while Coalition voters were more divided with 46% saying they agreed and 28% saying they did not.
The president of APAN, Nasser Mashni, said the polling showed Australians wanted the federal government to play a more active role in the stopping the conflict.
“People know that when there’s a genocide, the Australian government has an obligation to act. They also know that the media in Australia needs to be better at accurately reporting on the evidence that they see come straight from people and fellow journalists in Gaza,” Mashni said.
“There’s strong support across the political spectrum in every demographic, overwhelmingly identifying Israel’s actions as genocide and calling for sanctions and for people to stand with Palestine.”
Australia joined with the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in June in placing financial sanctions and travel bans on two Israeli government ministers in response to serious human rights violations and abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The government recognised Palestine as a sovereign and independent state at the UN general assembly last month but has yet to bow to further domestic pressure in response to a report by the UN commission of inquiry, which found statements made by Israeli authorities, including Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are “direct evidence of genocidal intent”.
This week will mark two years since the 7 October attacks on southern Israel by Hamas, who killed approximately 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250.
Israel’s offensive has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and so far killed 66,055 Palestinians, also mostly civilians. More than 160,000 are thought to have been injured.
Guardian Australia approached the Israeli embassy and the Palestinian delegation in Australia for comment.
