Deir al-Balah holds Gaza's first election in 21 years

Municipal vote on Saturday offers rare gauge of political sentiment after two years of war.

Palestinians in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah voted on Saturday in municipal elections, the first ballot of any kind held in Gaza since 2006.¹² Approximately 70,000 eligible voters over 18 could cast ballots between 7am and 5pm local time.²

The vote is part of broader Palestinian Authority municipal elections covering 420 local councils in the occupied West Bank, with Deir al-Balah the only participating municipality in Gaza.² The elections will feature some pro-Hamas candidates, offering what observers describe as a rare measure of the militant group's popularity after the war.¹

Hamas won the PA's legislative elections in 2006 and later seized control of Gaza following a brief civil war with PA President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party, which remains dominant in the West Bank.¹ The Saturday vote marks a departure from the policy of administrative appointments that has governed Gaza under Hamas leadership for 21 years.²

Deir al-Balah was selected as a testing ground because it sustained less infrastructural damage than other areas during Israel's two-year assault on Gaza, which began after Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023.¹² In December 2024, Israeli forces bombed the city's municipality building, killing then-mayor Diab al-Jarou and 10 staff members, despite the Israeli military having designated the city a "safe zone".²

Jamil al-Khalidi, regional director of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission, told Al Jazeera the vote represents a pivotal milestone.² The PA has said extending elections to Gaza "wherever possible" is a symbolic effort to demonstrate Gaza remains part of a future Palestinian state.¹

Adham Al-Bardini, a 34-year-old resident, described anticipation for political expression. "For the first time in my life, in 20 years, I will have this feeling," he said.¹