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.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, acc...
The Iranian Army has again struck at U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for U.S. attacks on southern and western part...
Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy says envoys from the United States will be visiting Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate an end to the conflict....
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The U.S. has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites as Tehran retaliated against U.S. positions across the region, while Iranian officials said at least five people were killed and dozens wounded at a wedding near Sirik.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas says the bloc will tighten enforcement of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. EU foreign ministers were meeting in Ireland following renewed Russian strikes on cities across Ukraine.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
Black Sea Petroleum (BSP), the company behind Georgia's Kulevi plant on the Black Sea coast, has announced that as of 23 August, the refinery is processing exclusively non-Russian oil.
Two people have been rescued alive from a tunnel in Nepal, nine days after catastrophic floods devastated the country, as rescuers continue searching for survivors.
Georgia's economy grew by eight per cent in July, and if you're wondering what's behind the surge, the answer is the same one that's been doing the heavy lifting all year: oil.
Russia’s Rosatom and Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants have signed a contract to build two units at the Balkhash nuclear power plant, with a combined capacity of 2.4 gigawatts.
The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine has called on churches around the world to intervene after teachers and school staff from the West Bank were prevented from reaching Christian schools in Jerusalem.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment