Palestinians went to the polls on Saturday in local municipal elections in a vote that will be closely watched to see what trends are percolating among the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
The UAE's Al-Ain media reported that this is the first electoral test since the Gaza war began.
Al-Ain reported that polling stations opened Saturday morning across the West Bank and central Gaza Strip in the first election since the outbreak of the Gaza war. The voting began at 7 in the morning and ended between 5 and 7 p.m.
“According to the Central Election Commission in Ramallah, approximately 1.5 million voters in the occupied West Bank are eligible to cast their votes, in addition to 70,000 voters in the Deir al-Balah area in the central Gaza Strip,” the report said.
Palestinian political activist Samer Sinijlawi posted images of the elections in Hebron.
Palestinians head to polls
“For many Palestinians, this is more than just a municipal vote. It is a moment long-awaited,” he said.
“After years without national elections, the simple act of casting a ballot carries weight far beyond local governance. It reflects a deep public desire to be heard, to participate, and to shape the future through institutions, not slogans. In Hebron today, people are not just voting for a city council. They are expressing something much larger: a demand for representation, accountability, and change."
“These scenes matter. When people stand in line to vote, despite frustration, despite political stagnation, it signals that the belief in civic life is still alive. And that may be the most important development of all.”
Palestinians have not had legislative elections since 2006. After those elections, there was a coup in Gaza by Hamas. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has clung to power. The PA has often postponed elections in the West Bank, arguing that Hamas is preventing elections in Gaza.
Hamas has sought to have elections in the West Bank so it can benefit, while preventing voting in Gaza since 2007. The EU and others have backed elections over the last two decades. Another complaint by the PA is that Israel prevents elections in East Jerusalem.
As such, Palestinians often have no way to test the popularity of various movements. Student elections have been one way to see which movement, Fatah, Hamas, or the others, is more powerful.
“Most of the electoral lists belong either to the Fatah movement, led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, or to independents, while there are no lists linked to the Hamas movement,” Al-Ain noted. The vote pits Fatah against independent lists and also the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a far-left movement.
"Whether the candidates are independent or affiliated with a party makes no difference, and it will not benefit the city in any way," one source in Tulkarm told the Agence France-Presse. "The occupation is the one that rules Tulkarm. What is happening is nothing but a picture being presented to the international media, as if we have elections, a state, or independence."
In Nablus and Ramallah, the report said that only one PA-backed list ran in the elections. The UN praised the elections.
One notable aspect of the elections is that they are also occurring in some parts of Gaza. Al-Ain said that this includes Deir al-Balah in the Central Camps area. The report said that this area was one of the “few areas in Gaza where a large number of residents were not displaced during the two-year war.” The report said that a private security company secured the vote in the areas in Gaza where it took place.
The elections will be closely watched to see the trends. If things go well, this could boost the plans for change in Gaza. Hamas is supposed to hand over weapons, and a technocratic government is supposed to run Gaza. Israel has opposed the PA running Gaza.
Over the years, prior to October 7, Israel enabled cash to be transferred to Hamas-run Gaza. Hamas grew much more powerful in running Gaza after the 2007 coup. It had already kidnapped Gilad Schalit in 2006.