Palestinians in the West Bank and a central area of Gaza are voting in municipal elections, marking the first electoral process since the Gaza war, amid limited political competition and widespread public disillusionment.
Nearly 1.5 million registered voters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and around 70,000 voters in Gaza’s Deir el-Balah area are eligible to cast ballots, according to the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission.
Most candidate lists are either aligned with President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party or consist of independent groups. No lists affiliated with Hamas are participating, while several local tickets include figures linked to smaller political factions or independent civic groups.
In many cities, including Ramallah and Nablus, only a single list is running, effectively securing victory without a contested vote. In other areas, Fatah-backed candidates are competing against independent or faction-linked groups such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Voting is taking place under difficult conditions in the West Bank, where Israeli military operations and occupation restrictions continue to shape daily life. In Gaza’s Deir el-Balah area, polling is being conducted amid severe infrastructure damage and limited electricity following the war.
Polling stations in the West Bank are open from morning until evening, while voting hours in Gaza are shorter to allow counting in daylight due to power shortages.
United Nations officials have described the electoral process as a rare opportunity for civic participation under “exceptionally challenging circumstances,” while acknowledging the constraints facing democratic activity in the territory.