Gaza holds first elections in 20 years amid stalled ceasefire process – but only in one city

By Mohammad Al-Sawalhi, Abeer Salman, Oren Liebermann, CNN

Deir al-Balah, Gaza/Jerusalem (CNN) — Gaza held its first elections in more than 20 years on Saturday – but only in one city for a small fraction of the shattered territory’s population – amid a stalled process to advance the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The elections took place in the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, one of the areas that suffered the least destruction during nearly two years of Israeli bombardment of the enclave. Held under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority, the municipal elections also took place in the occupied West Bank, amid perceived widespread disillusionment with the ruling Fatah party.

In Gaza, approximately 70,000 voters – less than five percent of the population – were eligible to cast their ballot in an election that was viewed as largely symbolic. It is the first election held in the territory since Hamas took over in 2006.

“Honestly, as a Palestinian and a son of the Gaza Strip, I feel proud that after this war, the democratic process is returning,” Mamdouh al-Bhaisi, a 52-year-old voter, told Reuters. “I am overjoyed, and I pray that everyone will participate and contribute to the success of this great democratic celebration.”

The elections in Gaza were held despite enormous challenges, including a lack of suitable polling places, a shortage of ballot boxes and more, according to Jamil al-Khalidi, the regional director of the Palestinian elections commission. Many of the schools that would have served as polling places were destroyed in Israeli strikes, he told CNN, forcing the elections committee to use tents instead.

“We were determined to hold these elections and find the necessary alternatives to ensure the success of the electoral process,” al-Khalidi said.

Hamas was officially excluded from participating in Saturday’s municipal election, as the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) required the parties and candidates running to accept certain commitments, including recognition of Israel and support for a two-state solution. But the results of the polls, along with voter turnout, are expected to help gauge Hamas’ popularity after two years of war.

Despite not running an official candidate list, Hamas’ police forces secured the polling sites in Deir al-Balah, surrounding each location with armed guards.

“Holding municipal elections in Deir al-Balah is a positive and important step,” said Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem on Saturday as he called for presidential and legislative elections, which also have not been held in two decades. “We see (the municipal elections) as an important and necessary step, and we hope they will expand to all governorates of the Gaza Strip.”

Ashraf Shuaibi, the head of the Central Elections Commission, said Saturday’s vote in Gaza can be a model for Palestinian national elections as well. “It was heartwarming to see Gaza locally built ballot boxes and locally printed ballot papers provide first time elections in 21 years and a devastating war,” Shuaibi said.

Results are expected to be released as soon as Saturday night or Sunday.

The election was also an opportunity for the Palestinian Authority to show a measure of unified governance over both the West Bank and Gaza, holding elections in both places. The Fatah-led authority has not held any real measures of power in Gaza since it was kicked out by Hamas nearly two decades ago.

“Today’s election is not only important for democratic governance in the occupied Palestinian territories, but it is also significant that the (Central Elections Committee) was able to deliver elections in Deir al-Balah, where residents facing displacement and hardship have not voted in elections for 20 years,” said Sarah Johnson, the director of the democracy program at the Carter Center, a nonprofit that monitors elections around the world. “Gaza’s inclusion is fundamental to any credible path toward self-determination and to affirming the national and territorial unity that a political horizon requires.”

Many voters viewed the election as a chance to express their desire for Palestinian self-determination and a way forward, especially after Israel’s bombardment of Gaza destroyed much of the territory. A reformed Palestinian Authority is also a key part of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement, and elections are viewed as a vital element of reform.

“Our hope in these elections, God willing, is that they will reaffirm Palestinian nationalism, prevent the erasure of Palestinian identity, and solidify our connection to this land, our roots and our ancestors,” said 56-year-old Mohammed Salman as he voted on Saturday.

Last week, senior US government advisor Aryeh Lightstone met chief Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo as the Trump administration tries to advance the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But progress has stalled on the next phase of the agreement, which calls for the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international force to Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, some Palestinians viewed the municipal elections with deep skepticism. Municipal elections, which determine who is in charge of running local services, were last held in the West Bank in 2022. But in major cities like Ramallah and Nablus, the only candidates listed were from the Fatah party, which has controlled the PA since its inception.

The 90-year-old Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, has not called presidential elections in more than two decades.

Mahmoud Hreibat, a prominent Palestinian journalist, described the elections as “a wedding with no groom.” On his Facebook page, he wrote, “Ramallah in this scene let down everyone who expected to feel the pulse of elections there. It left the democratic celebration incomplete, cold, and soulless.”

Israel does not allow Palestinian municipal elections in East Jerusalem. Huda Al-Imam, a well-known Palestinian activist from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, said on Facebook, “The elections risk becoming a mere formal procedure rather than a genuine democratic process that reflect people’s will and choice, or responds to the grave and urgent conditions that shape our tragic daily lives under the occupation’s crimes.”

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