Palestinians vote in West Bank for first time since 2023, Gaza since 2006
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Palestinians vote in West Bank for first time since 2023, Gaza since 2006")
A Palestinian electoral official marks the finger of a voter after casting his ballot at a polling station during municipal elections in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on April 25, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Palestinians cast ballots in the Gaza Strip for the first time since 2006 and in the West Bank for the first time since the war in 2023, with Hamas being banned and Fatah dominating much of the electorate list.
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza cast their votes in municipal and village elections on Saturday morning for the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, and the first poll of any kind to be held in Gaza since 2006. The vote in the West Bank will determine the makeup of the local councils overseeing water, roads and electricity. Turnout may reflect the level of public trust in a broader system led by the Palestinian Authority’s ageing leaders, who haven’t held legislative or political elections in decades. The vote in Deir al-Balah is largely symbolic as one of the few areas in the enclave not to have experienced an Israeli ground invasion.
Who are the candidates, and how many registered voters are there?
Gaza remains largely under Hamas control, while the West Bank is under the control of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) through the Palestinian Authority led by 90-year-old Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas won the election in Gaza in 2006, but Fatah maintained control and refused to cede to Hamas, leading to a brief but violent civil war also known as the Battle of Gaza and the ousting of Fatah from Gaza.
In 2026, Hamas was not allowed to participate in the elections in Gaza, and several other factions have boycotted the election as it demanded the recognition of the authority of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, which governs part of the Occupied West Bank that is not under the direct control of the Israeli occupation forces. Reuters report claims that eventhough Hamas is not on the ballot in Deir al-Balah, a slate of candidates was fielded who were aligned with it.
In the West Bank, most of the electoral lists are dominated by Fatah, a secular nationalist front and a major segment of the PLO. While some are running as independents. In many West Bank cities, including Nablus and Ramallah, only one list was submitted, meaning Fatah automatically wins. However, according to the polling from the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research, Hamas remains the most popular front in both the West Bank and the Gaza. According to a report by Deutsche Welle, which cites data from the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission, there are approximately 1.5 million voters in the West Bank, while there are 70,000 in Gaza.
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UN deems the election as a "credible process"
The United Nations has officially described the ongoing Palestinian local elections as a "credible process." UN coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov said, "Saturday's elections represent an important opportunity for Palestinians to exercise their democratic rights during an exceptionally challenging period." Fareed Taamallah, a spokesperson of the election commission, said the main idea is to link the West Bank and Gaza under one political umbrella.
UN formally recognises the Israeli Military presence in Palestinian territory as “belligerent occupation”. It recognises that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Gaza are “occupied” and Israel is the occupying power and its military is the occupying force.
