In the first local vote to include the Gaza Strip in nearly two decades, the results of the Palestinian municipal elections on Sunday showed progress for supporters of President Mahmoud Abbas in a number of constituencies, with limited participation.
Published on: 04/26/2026 - 20:57 Last updated: 04/27/2026 - 08:31
Officials reported on Sunday that lists supported by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas achieved progress in the majority of districts in the municipal elections, in a vote that included for the first time in nearly twenty years a city in the Gaza Strip under the administration of the Hamas movement.
The voting process that took place on Saturday was the first election held in Gaza since 2006, as well as the first at the Palestinian level since the outbreak of war in the Strip more than two years ago, following an attack carried out by Hamas across the border towards southern Israel.
The Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas and based in the West Bank, explained that the inclusion of the city of Deir al-Balah, which was relatively less damaged during the war, aims to emphasize that Gaza remains an essential part of any future Palestinian entity.
Limited participation was recorded in this electoral entitlement, under complex circumstances, as Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa stated when announcing the results that the elections took place at a sensitive time and within exceptional challenges.
Mustafa pointed out that organizing elections in the West Bank and partly in the Gaza Strip represents a first step within a broader national path that seeks to consolidate democratic practice and enhance the steadfastness of institutions, in preparation for completing future entitlements and achieving the unity of the Palestinian territories.
A possible indicator of support for Hamas
Hamas, which ousted the Palestinian Authority from Gaza in 2007, did not officially field candidates in the Strip and boycotted elections in the occupied West Bank, where a victory for Fatah candidates was widely expected.
But some of the candidates on one of Deir al-Balah's lists were considered by residents and analysts to be largely supportive of the movement, making voting for them a potential indicator of support for Hamas.
Preliminary results showed that the “Deir al-Balah Unites Us” list won only two seats out of the 15 seats contested in Gaza. The Deir al-Balah Renaissance list, supported by the Fatah movement led by Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, won six seats, while the remaining seats were won by two other groups based in Gaza, namely (Deir al-Balah’s Future) and (Peace and Construction), which are not affiliated with either movement.
Abbas's supporters swept the elections in the West Bank, where they ran unopposed for many seats.
Fatah spokesman Abdel Fattah Dawla indicated that the participation rate was close to that recorded in the previous municipal elections in the West Bank in 2022, and praised voter participation despite the continuing acts of violence from Israel.
Palestinian political analyst Reham Odeh said, “By electing figures supportive of or affiliated with Fatah, the residents of Deir al-Balah guarantee the availability of international support for the municipality without restrictions. It also guarantees the gradual return of the Fatah movement to manage the Gaza Strip, even at the municipal level, which may develop to greater levels if legislative elections take place in the future.”
The head of the Central Elections Committee, Rami Hamdallah, said that the participation rate in Gaza was only 23 percent, while it reached 56 percent in the West Bank.
He added that some ballot boxes and voting equipment did not reach the Gaza Strip due to Israeli security restrictions, but those challenges were overcome.
Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Hazem Qassem, downplayed the importance of the election results, saying they had no impact on broader national issues.
France 24/Reuters
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