Palestinians head to the polls for first time since Gaza war

Palestinians head to the polls for first time since Gaza war Submitted by Areeb Ullah on Sat, 04/25/2026 - 13:12 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and in Gaza's Deir al-Balah vote in municipal elections Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas casts his vote in the municipal elections, in Ramallah. The vast majority of candidates are affiliated to the ruling Fatah party with no candidates from Hamas standing in the elections (AFP) Off Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and central Gaza on Saturday cast their ballot in municipal elections for the first time since Israel launched its war on Gaza. Figures published by the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission show that approximately 1.5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and 70,000 people in Gaza's Deir al-Balah area are registered to vote. The vote, however, has a narrow field of candidates, with most aligned with the secular-nationalist Fatah Party and independent candidates.  There are no lists associated with Hamas, which controls half of the Gaza Strip. The other half of the besieged enclave is under Israeli military occupation. In most cities, Fatah-linked candidates are running against independent candidates affiliated with the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Some candidates, however, have said they have been prevented from participating in the electoral process.  Mohammed Dweikat from Nablus in the West Bank told AFP that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has detained some candidates until the end of the registration period. Gaza worker restores stove burners as families adapt to fuel shortages Read More » Municipal councils are responsible for delivering basic services, such as water, sanitation and local infrastructure, but do not enact legislation. Over the years, the PA has been accused of corruption, stagnation and declining legitimacy. Western and regional donors have increasingly tied financial and diplomatic support for the PA to visible reform, particularly in local governance.  The European Union, however, called the vote an "important step towards broader democratisation and strengthened local governance... in line with the ongoing reforms process". Two years of genocidal war that started in October 2023 have left swathes of Gaza destroyed and more than 72,000 people killed, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Public infrastructure, sanitation services and the health sector have all been destroyed or damaged in Israeli attacks and are struggling to function. Gaza, under Hamas control since 2007, is seeing its first vote since legislative elections in 2006 that the movement won. The PA is holding elections only in Deir el-Balah to test its "success or failure, since there are no post-war opinion polls", Jamal al-Fadi, a political scientist at Cairo's Al-Azhar University, told AFP. Deir el‑Balah was chosen as it is one of the few areas where the population has not been massively displaced, he said. Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0