Palestinians are voting in local elections on Saturday, including the first poll of any kind to be held in Gaza since 2006. Elections are taking place across the occupied West Bank, as well as in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza where Hamas operates.
Hamas was not allowed to stand in the election and several other factions have boycotted it over a requirement that candidates commit to recognising the authority of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA) governing in parts of the occupied West Bank not under Israeli control.
Fatah, the faction led by President Mahmoud Abbas, was violently ousted from Gaza by Hamas in the aftermath of the last elections there. While Hamas was not on the ballot, one slate of candidates was widely seen as being aligned with it.
The central city of Deir al-Balah was chosen as the sole area in Gaza for elections as it was not as badly damaged as other places during the Israel-Hamas war. A fragile ceasefire is in place as part of a recent peace plan that halted the fighting last October.
Hamas continues to operate in parts of Gaza where Israeli forces have withdrawn, and its police force was involved in security operations around polling stations.
More than a million voters across the Palestinian territories are eligible to participate, including 70,000 in Deir al-Balah, where 12 polling stations were scheduled to operate.
Voting began at 07:00 local time and polls close at 19:00 local time, with results expected late on Saturday or on Sunday. Notably, Fatah is the only major faction on the ballot across the Palestinian territories, and is guaranteed victory in some districts as no opposition candidates are running.
Local elections have not been organized in the West Bank since 2022, while the last poll of any kind in Gaza was two decades ago. These elections are seen as a crucial opportunity for Palestinians to exercise their rights amidst ongoing turmoil and a complicated political landscape.
Hamas was not allowed to stand in the election and several other factions have boycotted it over a requirement that candidates commit to recognising the authority of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA) governing in parts of the occupied West Bank not under Israeli control.
Fatah, the faction led by President Mahmoud Abbas, was violently ousted from Gaza by Hamas in the aftermath of the last elections there. While Hamas was not on the ballot, one slate of candidates was widely seen as being aligned with it.
The central city of Deir al-Balah was chosen as the sole area in Gaza for elections as it was not as badly damaged as other places during the Israel-Hamas war. A fragile ceasefire is in place as part of a recent peace plan that halted the fighting last October.
Hamas continues to operate in parts of Gaza where Israeli forces have withdrawn, and its police force was involved in security operations around polling stations.
More than a million voters across the Palestinian territories are eligible to participate, including 70,000 in Deir al-Balah, where 12 polling stations were scheduled to operate.
Voting began at 07:00 local time and polls close at 19:00 local time, with results expected late on Saturday or on Sunday. Notably, Fatah is the only major faction on the ballot across the Palestinian territories, and is guaranteed victory in some districts as no opposition candidates are running.
Local elections have not been organized in the West Bank since 2022, while the last poll of any kind in Gaza was two decades ago. These elections are seen as a crucial opportunity for Palestinians to exercise their rights amidst ongoing turmoil and a complicated political landscape.
