Americans in a wide swath of the nation say they believe Israel’s military response to last month’s attack by Hamas is fully justified and think the U.S. should send financial assistance to support the war efforts.

That’s according to a CNHI poll conducted last month on the newspaper company’s websites. More than 1,000 people responded, most of whom were over 50 (64%) and identified as Independents (47%).

The online, nonscientific survey was taken in 22 states in the Midwest, South and Northeast where CNHI newspapers are located.

The poll reveals the majority of those who responded support Israel but are also fearful (34%) or somewhat fearful (39%) the war will lead to U.S. military involvement in support of Israel.

“I’m a little bit concerned about not having our troops dragged into it [now]. I’m afraid the Navy’s going to get involved to some extent,” said Ken Brown, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and former military intelligence officer from Cullman. “If Israel is in danger of being wiped out, we would probably intercede to help them. I hope that doesn’t happen; I think the Israelis are pretty capable of handling things. They have the intel to know where most of the missile storage is in Lebanon; in Gaza, if we can keep them supplied — kind of just like 50 years ago [the Yom Kippur War].

“But I do think that — well, the Israelis think — that Iran is getting very close to having a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu has said many times they are not going to let that happen. For a small country, it’s an existential threat. At some time, the Israelis are going to have to take it to Iran to take out their nuclear program.”

Giselle Rodriguez, who manages a business in rural Moultrie, Ga., said she doesn’t want any U.S. involvement in the war in part to avoid possible retaliation from Hamas, that might target Americans and their kids.

“If we involve ourselves, it’ll be our children,” she said. “There are just some wars that you shouldn’t get involved with. It’s not our war to fight.”

Kate Summerlin, who also lives in Moultrie, disagreed. She said her religious beliefs lead her to think the U.S. should send military support to Israel.

“I’m a Christian and I believe that it’s definitely a sign from God that his people need help,” she said. “I think if we can help them, we should.”

The Hamas attack on Oct. 7 left over 1,400 people dead. Since then, Israel has launched a relentless assault on the Gaza Strip, where Hamas seized control from the Palestinian Authority in 2007. Israel attacks have killed over 8,800 Palestinians in Gaza as of Nov. 1.

Most people who responded to the poll think Hamas is either an extremist group (37%) or only makes up a minority (35%) of the 2.2 million Palestinians living in Gaza.

The recognition by most survey responders of the distinction between Palestinians and their Hamas leadership is an important one, according to Diana Fordham, who teaches at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin and holds a degree in Judaic studies.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are victims of both Hamas and Israel, she argued, leading to “the oppression of a group of people who see no way out.” Fordham said the Hamas attack was an act of terrorism, but also noted that disenfranchisement and oppression can lead to radicalization.

President Joe Biden’s leadership in the Israel-Hamas conflict came under fire by poll responders, with 54% saying they don’t trust him to make the right decisions. Those who fully or partially trust the president to make the right decision was about evenly split.

U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, said he doesn’t have faith that Biden will properly manage the war.

“This situation in the Middle East could directly lead to World War III if not handled accurately, and unfortunately, I do not have trust in our current commander in chief,” Mullin said.

Some foreign policy experts, however, are praising the Biden administration’s policies, argued Thom Travis, a Middle East specialist at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

“They believe Biden has deftly combined military threats … with diplomacy to convince Arab governments not to support Hamas and break accords with Israel,” he said.

That approach has been combined with increased demands on Israel to limit its invasion in order to reduce civilian deaths and ease the burden on the “desperate Gazan civilian population,” according to Travis.

“One can only hope that these American actions will be successful,” he said.

Brown, with his background in military intelligence, sees a bigger picture.

“If the Saudis allow Israeli Air Force overflight of their territory, that really helps the range problem for their [Israeli] aircraft” the Cullman resident said. “Most of their modern aircraft, including that delivered to them from the U.S., have three times the fuel capacity hat a normal U.S. fighter has. That’s important, because if you refuel off a tanker in the Persian Gulf, the Iranians already will have you on radar. If you aren’t, you can get in a lot easier and survive against an air defense system. The Israelis have at least five cruise missile-equipped subs. They can wreak a lot of havoc in the Persian Gulf and on the nuclear facilities in Iran with very little notice.

“As a former intelligence officer, I think this conflict is going to allow Israel the excuse and cover it needs to get in and seriously damage the Iranian nuclear program — that’s the bigger picture, in my opinion.

One thing is for certain: most survey respondents said they are closely (68%) or somewhat (31%) following the news of the war as Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza.

Debbi Raffalli, a resident of North Andover, Mass., said all Americans care about what’s happening because “we are all bound to each other — and to the power of democracy over evil.”

“Flying the flag of Israel identifies us as people who care about justice,” she said.

But for Cindy Vimos of Methuen, Mass., following news of the war has led her to a different conclusion: the fighting needs to stop.

“Those videos that are being posted online, on social media, it’s just breaking a lot of people’s hearts,” she said. “(A cease fire) needs to happen. It’s not OK. War just needs to end.”

Brown, sees it from another angle: “[In Israel] You’ve got German Jews, Italian Jews, Romanian Jews, and so on: These people are all from different cultures and backgrounds. But once they’re settled down over there, it’s ‘never again’ — that’s what ties them together.”