Loyalists of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas won most municipal races, election officials said on Sunday (26 April). Reuters reported that elections were held for the first time in nearly two decades in the central Gaza city of Deir al‑Balah, which is governed by Hamas.
Saturday’s ballot marked the first elections of any kind in Gaza since 2006 and the first Palestinian polls since the war began, following Hamas’ cross‑border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, 2023. The Strip has since been devastated by fighting, leaving much of the population displaced and focused on basic survival.
Abbas’ West Bank‑based Palestinian Authority (PA) said the inclusion of the central Gaza city of Deir al‑Balah, which suffered less damage than other parts, was intended to underline that Gaza remains an inseparable part of a future Palestinian state.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said the elections were held “at a highly sensitive moment amid complex challenges and exceptional circumstances”, but described them as “an important first step in a broader national process aimed at strengthening democratic life and ultimately achieving the unity of the homeland”.
Hamas, which ousted the PA from Gaza in 2007, did not officially nominate candidates in Deir al‑Balah and boycotted the vote entirely in the West Bank, where a victory for Fatah, Abbas’ movement, was widely expected.
However, several candidates on a list known as "Deir al‑Balah Brings Us Together" were viewed by residents and analysts as aligned with Hamas, making the vote a potential barometer of support for the Islamist group after the war.
Preliminary results showed the list won just two of the 15 seats contested. A Fatah‑backed list, Nahdat Deir al‑Balah, secured six seats, while the remaining positions were split between two Gaza‑based groups, Future of Deir al‑Balah and Peace and Building, neither affiliated with Fatah nor Hamas.
In the West Bank, Abbas loyalists swept the elections, with Fatah candidates running unopposed in many contests.
Voter turnout was low, reflecting ongoing instability and war‑related disruption. In Gaza, turnout reached 23%, while participation in the West Bank stood at 56%, according to Central Elections Commission chairman Rami al‑Hamdallah.
Al‑Hamdallah said some ballot boxes and voting equipment initially failed to reach Gaza due to Israeli security restrictions, but the commission said it managed to overcome those challenges.
Fatah spokesperson Abdul Fattah Dawla said turnout in the West Bank was comparable to the last municipal elections in 2022, praising voters for participating despite continued Israeli military operations.
“By electing figures linked to Fatah, voters appear to be seeking broader international support for municipal governance and a gradual political shift that could extend beyond the local level,” said Palestinian political analyst Reham Ouda.
Hamas Spokesperson Hazem Qassem downplayed the significance of the results, saying the municipal vote had no bearing on wider national political questions.
Israel has continued to conduct strikes in Gaza despite a ceasefire, as the territory grapples with widespread destruction, displacement and ongoing humanitarian needs.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, ...
Iran has rejected as “irrelevant” a UN nuclear watchdog resolution referring its nuclear file to the UN Security Council, arguing that ...
Georgia’s busiest sea gateway has reached its capacity limit, adding urgency to plans for a major expansion of Poti port as the country seeks...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iran has rejected as “irrelevant” a UN nuclear watchdog resolution referring its nuclear file to the UN Security Council, arguing that U.S. and Israeli strikes on sites under verification were the main reason inspections were halted.
Georgia’s busiest sea gateway has reached its capacity limit, adding urgency to plans for a major expansion of Poti port as the country seeks to strengthen its role in the Middle Corridor trade route between Asia and Europe.
Saudi Arabia’s outbound travel market could surge from around $35 billion to more than $60 billion by 2030-2034, driven by a young generation of high-spending travellers and intensifying competition among global destinations.
Kabul could become the first modern city in the world to run out of water by 2029, the UK head of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has warned following a week-long visit to Afghanistan.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment