Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are voting in municipal elections for the first time in 20 years, with polling stations opening at 7am. The elections are seen as largely symbolic, especially in Gaza's Deir el-Balah area, where 70,000 voters are eligible.
Key points
First municipal elections in Gaza in 20 years
Polling stations opened at 7am local time
70,000 eligible voters in Deir el-Balah area
Elections viewed as largely symbolic
1.5 million registered voters in the West Bank
Mentioned in this story
GazaWest Bank
Deir el-Balah
Palestinians in central Gaza and the occupied West Bank have begun voting in municipal elections, the first local vote held since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Polling stations opened at 7am (04:00 GMT) on Saturday for 70,000 eligible voters in Gaza’s Deir el-Balah area – the first such exercise in the besieged enclave in 20 years.
The vote in a single city in Gaza, on the other hand, is largely symbolic, with officials calling it a “pilot”.
Nearly 1.5 million registered voters in the occupied West Bank are also voting to determine the makeup of the local councils overseeing water, roads and electricity.
A Palestinian woman casts her ballot at a polling station during municipal elections in the village of al-Badhan, north of Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on April 25, 2026.
A Palestinian woman casts her ballot at a polling station during municipal elections in the village of al-Badhan, north of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank [AFP]
The elections come as the Palestinian Authority (PA) seeks to project reform and legitimacy amid growing public frustration over corruption, political stagnation and the absence of national elections since 2006.
Most electoral lists are backed by President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement or independent candidates, with no official participation from Hamas, which controls parts of Gaza.
Linking the occupied West Bank and Gaza
With much of Gaza decimated by more than two years of war, the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission chose to hold its first vote in Deir el-Balah. It had to improvise because it was unable to conduct traditional voter registration.
“The main idea is to link the West Bank and Gaza politically as one system,” its spokesperson, Fareed Taamallah, said.
The commission has not coordinated directly with either Israel or Hamas ahead of the Deir el-Balah vote and has been unable to send materials like ballot papers, ballot boxes or ink into Gaza, he added.
Q&A
What is the significance of the municipal elections in Gaza?
The municipal elections in Gaza are significant as they mark the first local vote in 20 years, although they are largely symbolic due to the ongoing conflict.
How many eligible voters are participating in the Gaza municipal elections?
There are 70,000 eligible voters participating in the municipal elections in Gaza's Deir el-Balah area.
When did the polling stations open for the municipal elections in Gaza?
Polling stations opened at 7am local time (04:00 GMT) on Saturday for the municipal elections in Gaza.
How many registered voters are there in the occupied West Bank for these elections?
Nearly 1.5 million registered voters in the occupied West Bank are also participating in the municipal elections.
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Though Palestinian voter turnout has gradually decreased, it has been relatively high in past local elections by regional standards, according to commission figures, averaging between 50 and 60 percent.
Gaza’s first election in 20 years
Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006 and seized control of Gaza from the Fatah-led PA a year later.
It did not put forth candidates for Saturday, but polling from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research indicates it remains the most popular Palestinian faction in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Ramiz Alakbarov, the United Nations deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, called the elections “an important opportunity for Palestinians to exercise their democratic rights during an exceptionally challenging period”.
Hamas controls half of Gaza, which Israeli forces partially withdrew from last year, including Deir el-Balah, but the coastal enclave is preparing to transition to a new governance structure under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.
The plan established a Board of Peace composed of international envoys and a committee of unelected Palestinians, intended to operate under it.
Progress towards further phases, including disarming Hamas, reconstruction and a transfer of power, has stalled.
A polling official assists a Palestinian woman as she votes during the municipal council election, in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, April 25, 2026. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
A polling official assists a Palestinian woman as she votes during the municipal council election, in Hebron, the occupied West Bank [Mussa Qawasma/Reuters]
Electoral reform
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, 90, signed a decree last year to overhaul the electoral system in line with some demands from Western donors.
The reforms allow voting for individuals rather than party lists (slates), lowering the eligibility age to run and raising quotas for female candidates.
In January, another Abbas decree required candidates to accept the programme of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the group that leads the PA. The programme calls for the recognition of Israel and renouncing armed struggle, in effect, sidelining Hamas and other factions.
The slates in major West Bank cities are dominated by Fatah, the faction that leads the PA, and independents, some with ties to other factions. It marks the first time in six local elections that no other faction has officially put forward its own slates.
A Palestinian man shows his marked finger after casting his ballot at a polling station during municipal elections in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Al-Bireh on April 25, 2026.
A Palestinian man shows his marked finger after casting his ballot at a polling station in the occupied West Bank city of el-Bireh [AFP]
In the occupied West Bank, the PA exercises limited autonomy, and local councils oversee services from rubbish collection to building permits.
Votes are being held in villages in Area C, which covers about 60 percent of the West Bank and remains under direct Israeli control. Full administrative control would have been handed to the PA according to the 1995 Oslo Accords.
Votes will also be held in municipalities that Israel’s military has occupied since it launched a ground invasion in the northern West Bank last year.
Campaign posters have been plastered across cities, though many – including Ramallah and Nablus – will not hold elections because too few candidates or slates registered.
The PA’s power has withered amid years without peace negotiations with Israel and the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
