Palestinians Vote in First Local Elections Since Gaza War, Including Pilot Poll in Deir al-Balah
RAMALLAH — April 25, 2026 — Palestinians in the West Bank and a central area of Gaza headed to the polls on Saturday, April 25, for municipal elections—the first vote since the Gaza war, marked by a narrow political field and widespread disillusionment among voters .
Nearly 1.5 million people are registered to vote in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, along with 70,000 people in Gaza’s Deir al-Balah area, according to the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission .
Netanyahu Faces Potential Arrest in Hungary as Incoming PM Vows to Uphold ICC Warrant | Canada’s Liberals Secure Historic Majority Government in Pivotal Byelections.
Limited Scope: Gaza’s ‘Pilot’ Election
The inclusion of Gaza in the vote is highly limited and largely symbolic. The Palestinian Authority is holding elections only in Deir al-Balah, a central Gaza city chosen “as an experiment (to test its own) 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 al-Balah was selected as one of the few places in Gaza where the population “has remained largely in place and not been displaced” by more than two years of war between Hamas and Israel .
The vote in Deir al-Balah marks Gaza’s first election since the legislative polls of 2006, which Hamas won. Subsequently, the Islamist movement violently seized control of Gaza from the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in 2007 . The city currently lies within the half of Gaza from which Israeli forces withdrew last year, but which remains under Hamas control .
Absence of Hamas and Security Arrangements
There are no electoral lists affiliated with Fatah’s archrival Hamas, which controls nearly half of the Gaza Strip . The Palestinian Authority required candidates to accept the program of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which includes recognition of Israel and renouncing armed struggle—effectively sidelining the militant group . Four parties are contesting the election in Deir al-Balah, though concerns have been raised that one list may have affiliations with Hamas .
The election commission has recruited polling staff from civil society organizations and hired “a private security company to secure polling centers” for the Gaza vote, spokesman Fareed Taamallah told AFP . However, a source from the commission in Gaza, who asked to remain anonymous, said that “Hamas police insisted on securing the electoral process in Deir al-Balah” and would secure polling centers by deploying “unarmed security personnel in civilian clothing” .
Fatah Dominance in the West Bank
In the West Bank, most electoral lists are aligned with President Mahmud Abbas’s secular-nationalist Fatah party or are running as independents . The reforms enacted last year allow voting for individuals rather than slates, lower the eligibility age to run, and raise quotas for women candidates .
In many cities, including Nablus and Ramallah—the seat of the Palestinian Authority—only one list has been submitted, meaning it wins automatically without needing a vote . Slates in major cities are dominated by Fatah and independents, some with ties to other factions . It is the first time in six local elections that no other faction has officially put forward its own slate—an absence that analysts say reflects political disillusionment under the 90-year-old Abbas and the authority’s aging leadership .
Voter Turnout and Public Sentiment
Mahmud Bader, a businessman from the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, where two adjacent refugee camps have been under Israeli military control for over a year, told AFP he would vote despite having little hope for meaningful change . “Whether candidates are independent or partisan, it has no effect and will have no effect or benefit for the city,” he said. “The (Israeli) occupation is the one that rules Tulkarem. It would only be an image shown to the international media—as if we have elections, a state or independence” .
The Architecture of Power: Global Political Systems, Democracy, Authoritarianism & Governance Models.
By contrast, some voters in Gaza expressed enthusiasm. Farah Shaath, 25, told AFP she was excited to vote for the first time. “Although it is unlike any election in the world, it is a confirmation of our continued existence in the Gaza Strip despite everything,” she said .
UN Endorsement
UN coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov commended the commission for organizing a “credible process.” “Saturday’s elections represent an important opportunity for Palestinians to exercise their democratic rights during an exceptionally challenging period,” Alakbarov said in a statement .
Important Distinction: Court Ruling and Local vs. National Elections
Importantly, the current local elections should be distinguished from broader national elections. In a ruling issued on April 11, 2026, the Palestinian high court ordered municipal elections to be held only in the West Bank, finding that the judiciary in Gaza lacked necessary “guarantees” for the holding of the polls . That ruling had initially raised doubts about the inclusion of Gaza in the electoral process.
The current voting is for municipal councils, which oversee local services including water, roads, and electricity . The Palestinian Authority has not held presidential or legislative elections since 2006 . President Abbas, now 90, has remained in power for more than 20 years without ever being re-elected, and frequently promises legislative and presidential elections that have never taken place .
SOURCES / INPUTS
- News of Bahrain: Palestinian court orders local elections only in West Bank
- The Spec: Local elections in the West Bank and part of Gaza could test public trust
- Arab News: Palestinians to vote in first elections since Gaza war
- Dunya News: Palestinians to vote in first elections since Gaza war
EU’s Entry/Exit System Fully Operational Across Schengen Area, Transforming Border Management.
Sakurajima Volcano Erupts in Southern Japan, Sending Ash 3.4 km High | California Wildfire 75% Contained as Evacuation Orders Lifted.
