Palestinians lined up outside polling stations in tents and donated buildings Saturday to vote in the first elections held in part of Gaza in more than two decades, with municipal races spanning Deir al-Balah and parts of the occupied West Bank. More than 70,000 people are eligible to vote for local government in Deir al-Balah, a central Gaza city that has been damaged by airstrikes but was spared an Israeli ground invasion. Election officials described the single-city vote as a largely symbolic pilot intended to begin politically linking Gaza and the West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority organized these local races after reforms enacted last year in response to demands from international backers. President Mahmoud Abbas, 90, signed a decree allowing voting for individuals rather than slates, though another decree required candidates to accept the Palestine Liberation Organization program that calls for recognizing Israel and renouncing armed struggle. Hamas, which won parliamentary elections in 2006 and seized control of Gaza from the Fatah-led Authority a year later, did not put forward candidates Saturday.
What the Right Is Saying
Critics questioned whether the elections represented meaningful democracy under Israeli occupation and Abbas's aging leadership. Marwan Ennabi, a resident of Qalqilya where no slates registered to participate at all, said elections didn't reflect that Palestinian democracy was thriving regardless of what happens in any city.
This isn't transparency, he said. This is chaos, chaos, chaos! Analysts noted it was the first time in six local elections that no faction besides Fatah has put forward its own slate, a development they attributed to political disillusionment under Abbas and the authority's shrinking influence. In cities without contested races, including Ramallah and Nablus, the Palestinian Authority will appoint councils directly.
What the Left Is Saying
Reform advocates and international observers praised the elections as a step toward restoring democratic participation under difficult circumstances. Ashraf Abu Dan, a voter in Deir al-Balah, said outside his polling place that he came to vote because I have a right to elect members to municipal council so they can provide us with services. Khalid al-Qawasmeh, voting in the West Bank city of Beitunia, said municipal laws need to be enforced so people feel there's justice.
Rami Hamdallah, chairman of the Ramallah-based Central Election Commission, framed the elections as part of an effort to geographically link the West Bank and Gaza Strip under the campaign slogan We Stay. Aref Jaffal, director of the al-Marsad Arab World Democracy and Electoral Monitor, said the Palestinian Authority sees local elections as a low-risk way to demonstrate progress on reforms. The PA wants to show it is on the right track on political, financial and administrative reforms, and is using local elections as a symbol of that, he said.
What the Numbers Show
Election officials reported 24.5% turnout as of 1 p.m. Saturday in Deir al-Balah and parts of the West Bank. By comparison, turnout in recent local elections in Lebanon and Tunisia was under 40% and 12%, respectively. Palestinian voter turnout has averaged between 50% and 60% in past local elections by regional standards, though participation has gradually decreased over time.
The Central Election Commission said it did not coordinate directly with either Israel or Hamas ahead of the vote. COGAT, the Israeli military body that oversees humanitarian affairs in Gaza, did not respond to questions about why entry materials like ballot paper, ballot boxes and ink were blocked from entering Gaza. The commission improvised using wooden ballot boxes and blue ink leftover from a vaccination drive last year.
The Bottom Line
The elections represent the first concrete step toward reunifying Palestinian political life since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, but analysts say significant obstacles remain. The limited scope of Saturday's vote to a single city, combined with low turnout and the absence of major factions besides Fatah, raises questions about broader public engagement ahead of any future elections.
Gaza is preparing for an anticipated transition from Hamas rule under U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan, which established an international Board of Peace and a committee of unelected Palestinian experts to govern. Progress toward further phases, including disarming Hamas and reconstruction, remains stalled. Whether these local elections signal momentum toward broader political inclusion or serve primarily as symbolic reform efforts will depend on participation levels and how the Palestinian Authority proceeds in coming months.