Election officials reported on Sunday that candidates aligned with President Mahmoud Abbas captured most of the seats in municipal elections held on Saturday across the Palestinian territories. The vote marked the first time since 2006 that a Gaza city - Deir al-Balah - took part in Palestinian municipal ballots, and represented the first Palestinian elections since the Gaza war began more than two years ago following Hamas' cross-border attack on southern Israel.
The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) said the inclusion of Deir al-Balah - which experienced less destruction than other parts of the Gaza Strip during the war - was intended to illustrate that Gaza remains an inseparable component of any prospective Palestinian state.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, commenting as results were released, framed the vote as occurring "at a highly sensitive moment amid complex challenges and exceptional circumstances," while also describing it as "an important first step in a broader national process aimed at strengthening democratic life ... and ultimately achieving the unity of the land."
Deir al-Balah results and Gaza turnout
The outcome in Deir al-Balah produced a divided outcome among local lists. Preliminary tallies indicated that a list widely seen by residents and analysts as sympathetic to Hamas - known locally as Deir al-Balah Brings Us Together - won two of the 15 seats contested in the city. The Nahdat Deir al-Balah list, supported by Abbas' Fatah party and the Western-backed PA, won six seats. Two other Gaza-based groups, Future of Deir al-Balah and Peace and Building, took the remaining seats and are not affiliated with either major faction.
Voter participation varied sharply between Gaza and the West Bank. The Central Elections Commission chairman, Rami al-Hamdallah, reported turnout of 23% in Gaza compared with 56% in the West Bank.
West Bank sweep and political signaling
In the West Bank, candidates loyal to Abbas achieved broad victories, often running without challengers in many municipal seats. Palestinian political analyst Reham Ouda said the results suggested that "by electing figures linked to Fatah, voters appear to be seeking unrestricted international support for municipal governance and a gradual political shift that could extend beyond the local level."
Hamas, which expelled the PA from Gaza in 2007, did not formally field candidates in Gaza and boycotted the contests held in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Nevertheless, some lists in Deir al-Balah were widely perceived by residents and observers as aligned with the movement, giving the Gaza vote a potential role as an indicator of local backing for Hamas.
Operational challenges and wider context
Election organizers faced logistical hurdles in getting voting materials into Gaza. Rami al-Hamdallah said some ballot boxes and voting equipment were delayed or did not make it into the enclave because of Israeli security restrictions, although he added that those difficulties were ultimately overcome.
The post-war situation in Gaza continues to shape the environment for residents and for political life. The recent war left large parts of the territory reduced to rubble, with many people displaced and focused on basic needs. Despite an October ceasefire, Israel has continued carrying out strikes, a dynamic that remains part of the context in which these municipal elections took place.
Hamas' Gaza spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, dismissed the broader importance of the results, saying the election outcomes had no impact on wider national issues.