Palestinians vote in local elections as Gaza joins municipal polls for first time in years

Jerusalem: Palestinians cast ballots in local elections on Saturday in a vote that, for the first time in nearly two decades, included part of Gaza and was seen as a test of political sentiment amid the wider conflict and uncertainty over Palestinian statehood.

The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) is seeking to use the inclusion of Gaza’s Deir al-Balah to underline its claim to authority in the territory, from which it was driven out by Hamas in 2007. Residents in Gaza, where people are struggling with severe hardship in the war-ravaged enclave, said the vote offered a rare chance to take part in a democratic process.

“As a Palestinian and a son of the Gaza Strip, I feel proud that after ​this war the democratic process is returning”, said 52-year-old voter Mamdouh al-Bhaisi at a polling station in Deir al-Balah.

The elections are the first Palestinian vote to be held since the Gaza conflict began more than two years ago following the cross-border Hamas assault on southern Israeli communities. Municipal elections were last held in the West Bank four years ago.

Since a US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect in October, intermittent talks led by Washington have made little headway towards a settlement involving international supervision of Gaza. European and Arab governments broadly back the eventual return of PA administration in Gaza and the creation of an independent Palestinian state made up of Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, where the PA currently exercises limited self-rule under Israeli occupation.

Western diplomats say the local elections could serve as a step towards the first national elections in almost two decades and support reforms that the PA says are aimed at improving transparency and accountability.

“We hope that the procedure carried out today will be crowned with legislative and presidential elections”, said Munif Treish, a candidate in the West Bank.

Voting limited in Gaza

In Deir al-Balah, which has suffered less destruction from Israel’s assault since 2023 than other cities in Gaza, campaign banners bearing candidate lists were visible on buildings. Some polling was held in tents, and voting was due to end two hours earlier than usual because of electricity shortages.

The Palestinian election committee said widespread destruction was among the reasons voting could not be organised across the rest of Gaza. More than half of the territory is controlled by Israel, while the remainder is under Hamas rule.

“This is a message to the world that here, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are one geographical unit”, said Jamil al-Khalidi, the election committee’s regional director in Deir al-Balah.

Boycott by some factions

Some Palestinian factions are boycotting the elections in protest against the PA’s requirement that candidates endorse its agreements, including recognition of the state of Israel. Hamas, which has governed Gaza for nearly 20 years, did not formally field candidates. However, one list in the Deir al-Balah contest is widely regarded by residents and analysts as being aligned with the group, and analysts say its performance could provide an indication of Hamas’s standing.

Most candidates, both in Gaza and the West Bank, are contesting under the banner of Fatah, the main movement behind the PA, or as independents. Hamas has said it will respect the outcome.

Palestinian sources told Reuters before the vote that the group’s civil police would be deployed to protect polling stations in Gaza.

The Palestinian Central Elections Committee said more than one million Palestinians were eligible to vote, including 70,000 in Gaza. Results were expected late on Saturday or on Sunday.

The elections are taking place as the PA faces mounting financial pressure. It has struggled to pay salaries because Israel is withholding tax revenues it collects on the authority’s behalf. Israel says it is withholding the funds in protest over welfare payments to prisoners and to families of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, which it says encourage attacks.

The Israeli government has also taken steps to assist settlers in acquiring land in the West Bank. Ultranationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has repeatedly said “We will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state”.