WASHINGTON — At a moment of growing international alarm about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, more U.S. adults view Israel’s military action in the Palestinian territory as excessive than at the beginning of the war, according to a new poll.

About half of Americans say the military response from Israel in the Gaza Strip has “gone too far,” according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s up from November 2023, when 40% said Israel’s military action had gone too far. That AP-NORC poll was conducted shortly after Hamas started the conflict by launching an Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

But at the same time, Americans overall, particularly Republicans, are less likely to say that negotiating a ceasefire should be a high priority for the U.S. government than they were just a few months ago when the U.S. was holding ceasefire talks with Hamas.

The shift in American attitudes about Israel’s actions comes as Israel begins an expanded ground offensive on Gaza City. Israel is facing increased international scrutiny over its conduct in Gaza, with a team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council this week announcing it has concluded that Israel is committing genocide.

Israel has already destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced around 90% of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with experts announcing a famine in Gaza City. The Palestinian death toll has surpassed 65,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

“The level of innocent women and children suffering,” said Renee Hollier, of Lafayette, Louisiana, who described herself as a political independent and mother of a toddler. “There’s just no justification for this kind of suffering to continue.”

The poll found a bipartisan uptick in Americans finding Israel’s military response has “gone too far.”

About 7 in 10 Democrats say this now, up from 58% in November 2023. And roughly half of independents say the same, compared with about 4 in 10 in the earlier measure. Republicans have also moved slightly, from 18% to 24%.

Concern about overreach from Israel was high in January 2024, when 50% of U.S. adults said Israel had “gone too far,” but that fell slightly as the war continued.

And 45% of U.S. adults now say it’s “extremely” or “very” important for the U.S. to provide humanitarian relief to Palestinians in Gaza, similar to Americans’ views at the start of the war but up slightly from 41% in March.

Miguel Martinez, 55, of Miami, said it remains critical for President Donald Trump’s Republican administration to prioritize humanitarian relief even as it backs the Israeli military’s effort to defeat Hamas. Martinez supports Israel’s aim to defeat Hamas, but he’s concerned that the conflict is dragging on.

“Not everyone there is the enemy,” said Martinez, a Republican who said he broadly approves of Trump’s handling of the conflict. “Those people need help.”

Despite the growing view that Israel has overstepped, Americans are less likely to consider it a high priority to negotiate a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas than they were when the Trump administration was heavily involved in negotiations. That downward shift is primarily driven by Republicans.

About half of U.S. adults say it’s “extremely” or “very” important, down from 59% in March but in line with views from last year. Republicans have grown less likely to say it’s “extremely” or “very” important for the U.S. to negotiate a permanent ceasefire since earlier in the year, while Democrats haven’t shifted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the conflict will continue until Hamas is eliminated and the remaining hostages are released from captivity. Hamas has said its assault was in response to the more than decadelong blockade of Gaza, Israeli raids inside West Bank cities, increasing attacks by settlers on Palestinians and the growth of settlements.

In interviews, Americans across the political spectrum were dour about the prospects of the Trump administration mediating a lasting ceasefire. During the campaign, Trump pledged to quickly end the Israel-Hamas war as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine.