In the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinians voted on Saturday to elect their mayors and municipal councilors with little enthusiasm, in the first elections since the start of the war in Gaza. The majority of the lists were aligned with Fatah, the nationalist party of President Mahmoud Abbas, who has been in power since 2005, or ran without a label. None of the lists were affiliated with Hamas, the Islamist rival of Fatah.
Over 1.5 million people were registered on the electoral lists in the occupied West Bank, and 70,000 in the Deir el-Balah area in Gaza, according to the Central Election Commission based in Ramallah. Following the closure of the polling stations, the electoral commission announced a voter turnout of 53.4% in the West Bank, compared to 53.7% in 2022, and 22.7% in Deir el-Balah.
One AFP journalist noted a significant female participation in Jericho in the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
“We are going to elect someone capable of improving the community’s life, especially regarding water supply and road repairs,” said Manar Salmane, an English teacher in the city.
In Gaza, where the population, mostly displaced, continues to suffer from various shortages, the elections are seen as symbolic expressions of the desire to live, according to Mohammed al-Hasayna, 24 years old.
Triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the conflict has resulted in over 72,000 deaths, with a ceasefire in place since October 2025 marred by daily violence.
– “Need for new faces” –
In the West Bank, also plagued by a surge in violence, Ziad Hassan, a businessman from the village of Dura Al-Qaraa, believes the timing is very unfavorable “with the war in Gaza and ongoing attacks by settlers in the West Bank.”
The West Bank has seen increased violence involving Israeli settlers since the start of the conflict in the Middle East on February 28.
“The most important thing is to protect ourselves from the settlers. That’s why we need new faces, young people to fight for our rights,” said Abed Jabaieh, 68, a former mayor.
Municipal councils manage essential services like water, sanitation, and local infrastructure, without legislative power.
With no presidential or legislative elections held since 2006, they remain one of the few functioning democratic institutions under the Palestinian Authority.
Accused of corruption, the Palestinian Authority’s funding is increasingly tied to visible reforms, particularly at the local governance level.
– No Hamas lists –
Some aspiring candidates claimed they couldn’t run, including Mohammad Dweikat in Nablus. He told AFP that people on his list had been detained until the end of the registration period.
“Whether independents or from a party, the candidates won’t change anything in the city,” said Mahmoud Bader, a businessman voting in Tulkarem in the West Bank. “It’s the occupation that rules,” he told AFP, as Israel took control of two neighboring refugee camps.
In Naplouse, where only one list is running, a woman is expected to be elected as mayor for the first time.
The West Bank had municipal elections in 2017 and 2021-2022, but in Gaza, controlled by Hamas since 2007, these are the first elections since the 2006 legislative elections won by the Islamist movement.
According to political science expert Jamal al-Fadi from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the Palestinian Authority aims to measure its influence with the Deir el-Balah elections, in the absence of recent polls.
