Palestinians in West Bank, Deir al-Balah Vote in Local Elections
Palestinians cast their ballots on Saturday in local elections held across the occupied West Bank and in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. This election represents the first poll of any kind in Gaza since 2006.
Divisions and Boycotts Mar Elections
Hamas, which operates in Deir al-Balah, was prohibited from participating in the elections. Several other factions boycotted the process due to a requirement that candidates recognise the authority of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), which governs parts of the occupied West Bank through the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Fatah, the dominant faction within the PLO and led by President Mahmoud Abbas, was forcibly removed from Gaza following the 2006 elections, which Hamas won. This outcome led to violent clashes and a political schism between the two main Palestinian groups.
Over a million Palestinians across the territories were eligible to vote, including 70,000 in Deir al-Balah. Despite Hamas not being on the ballot, one slate of candidates in Deir al-Balah was widely perceived as aligned with the group. The central Gazan city was chosen for elections due to its comparatively lower level of damage from the US-Israeli instigated war which began in February 2025.
While Hamas's popularity has reportedly declined in Gaza due to the war, which some Gazans partially attribute to the group's October 2023 attack on southern Israel, its standing has surged in the West Bank. There, widespread disillusionment with the PA, led by Abbas and Fatah, persists. Many Palestinians view the PA as corrupt, ineffective, and failing to improve economic conditions or end Israel's decades-long military occupation.
With Fatah as the sole major faction on the ballot in many areas, and guaranteed victories in some districts due to a lack of opposition, these elections underscore the enduring lack of unity among Palestinian factions. The candidate field narrowed after several groups objected to an election law requiring commitment to recognising the PLO as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people."
The PLO-dominated PA has maintained a formal claim to legitimate governance in Gaza, despite exercising no effective control. Hamas and other Palestinian factions oppose the PLO, particularly over its recognition of Israel.
Local elections in the West Bank were last held in 2022, while Gaza has not seen any form of ballot for two decades. The 2006 legislative council election saw Hamas replace Fatah as the largest faction, escalating tensions that culminated in Fatah's violent ouster from Gaza the following year, cementing the political divide between Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Mohammed al-Hasayna, speaking after voting in Deir al-Balah, stated that the election signified the people's "will to live," adding, "We want the world to help us overcome the catastrophe of war. Enough wars - it is time to work towards rebuilding Gaza." Conversely, in Tulkarem, West Bank, businessman Mahmud Bader expressed little hope for change, noting that 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."
