Palestinians participated in local elections Saturday that included Gaza voters for the first time in nearly two decades, as political tensions remain high amid ongoing conflict with Israel.
The Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank, hopes that including the Gaza city of Deir al-Balah in the voting will strengthen its claim to govern the war-damaged territory, where Hamas has maintained control since forcing out the Authority in 2007.
Residents of Gaza, still dealing with basic survival needs in the devastated region, expressed enthusiasm about the chance to participate in the democratic process.
“I’ve been hearing about elections since I was born,” said Adham Al-Bardini, speaking from beside cooking equipment outside his family’s tent shelter in the city. “We are eager to take part … so we can change the reality imposed on us.”
The elections come as a U.S.-negotiated ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that began in October has led to sporadic diplomatic discussions, though little meaningful progress toward a comprehensive peace agreement involving international oversight of Gaza.
International leaders from Europe and Arab nations generally favor eventually returning Palestinian Authority leadership to Gaza and creating an independent Palestinian nation that would include Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, where the Authority currently has limited governing power under Israeli military occupation.
Foreign diplomatic officials believe these local elections might create a pathway for the first nationwide Palestinian elections in almost 20 years and could help push forward reforms aimed at improving government transparency and accountability that Palestinian Authority leaders say are already in progress.
These represent the first Palestinian elections conducted since the Gaza conflict began over two years ago with Hamas’s cross-border attack on Israeli communities in the south. The most recent municipal voting in the West Bank occurred four years ago.
The Palestinian Authority faces financial difficulties paying employee salaries as Israel continues holding tax money it normally collects for the Palestinians, creating concerns about potential economic breakdown. Israeli officials defend withholding these funds as opposition to welfare payments made to prisoners and families of those killed by Israeli forces, claiming such payments encourage violent attacks.
Israel’s government has also implemented measures to assist settlers in obtaining West Bank property, and ultranationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has stated, “We will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state.”
In Deir al-Balah, which has experienced less destruction from Israel’s military campaign since 2023 compared to other Gaza cities, campaign banners displaying candidate names are displayed on buildings. Some ballot casting will occur in temporary tent structures, and voting hours will be shortened due to limited electrical power.
Palestinian election officials pointed to extensive damage as one reason voting could not occur throughout the remainder of Gaza, where Israel controls more than half the territory while Hamas governs the rest.
Several Palestinian political groups are refusing to participate in the elections to protest the Palestinian Authority’s requirement that candidates support its diplomatic agreements, including acknowledging Israel’s right to exist as a state.
Hamas, which has governed Gaza for nearly 20 years, did not officially put forward any candidates, though one candidate slate in the Deir al-Balah race is widely considered by local residents and political observers to support the militant organization.
Political analysts suggest the electoral performance of candidates connected to the militant group could indicate its current level of public support. Most candidates, both in Gaza and the West Bank, are campaigning under the Fatah movement, which leads the Palestinian Authority, or as independent candidates.
Hamas leadership has indicated it will accept the election outcomes, and Palestinian officials informed Reuters before the voting that the group’s civilian police officers would be stationed at Gaza polling locations to provide security.
The Palestinian Central Elections Committee reported that over one million Palestinians, including 70,000 in Gaza, were qualified to vote, with final results anticipated late Saturday or Sunday.
