{"id":6779,"date":"2026-04-25T18:47:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T18:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=6779"},"modified":"2026-04-25T18:47:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T18:47:58","slug":"palestinians-vote-in-first-elections-since-gaza-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=6779","title":{"rendered":"Palestinians vote in first elections since Gaza war"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><small>Electoral workers begin the count after voting closed in Deir el-Balah in Gaza &#8211; Copyright AFP Eyad Baba<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Louis Baudoin-Laarman<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Palestinians in the West Bank and central Gaza voted for municipal councils on Saturday, the first elections since the Gaza war began.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With a narrow slate of contenders, turnout was initially low in the occupied West Bank where 1.5 million people were registered to vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But it was boosted by a last-minute surge, reaching 53.44 percent, the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission (CEC) said, just fractionally lower than in the previous ballot in March 2022.<\/p>\n<p>In Gaza\u2019s Deir el-Balah, however, participation was low with only 22.7 percent of the 70,000 registered voters casting ballots, it said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are very pleased to exercise democracy in spite of the many challenges we face,\u201d president Mahmud Abbas told journalists after voting in Al-Bireh, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>During the morning, a steady trickle of voters could be seen heading to polling stations in the West Bank, while foreign diplomats observed the process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will elect someone who can improve the local community \u2026 things like water and repairing the streets,\u201d said Manar Salman, an English teacher in Jericho.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t receive much support from outside, and the occupation affects us in many ways\u2026 it limits what the municipality can do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some questioned the timing of the vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe didn\u2019t want elections at this time \u2014 not with war in Gaza and ongoing settler attacks in the West Bank,\u201d said Ziad Hassan, a businessman from the village of Dura Al-Qaraa.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe decision was imposed on us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have surged since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe main thing is security from settlers. That\u2019s why we need new faces, young people willing to fight for our rights,\u201d said Abed Jabaieh, 68, former mayor of Ramun village.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 \u2018An important step\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n<p>Most electoral lists were aligned with Abbas\u2019s secular-nationalist Fatah movement or composed of independents.<\/p>\n<p>Hamas, Fatah\u2019s bitter rival which rules over Gaza, was absent from the race.<\/p>\n<p>Municipal councils oversee water, sanitation and local infrastructure but do not enact legislation.<\/p>\n<p>However, with no presidential or legislative elections since 2006, electing local councils has become one of the last remaining democratic mechanisms under the Palestinian Authority.<\/p>\n<p>The PA faces widespread criticism over corruption, stagnation and declining legitimacy, with donors increasingly tying their financial and diplomatic support to reform, particularly of local governance.<\/p>\n<p>The vote was hailed by the European Union as an \u201cimportant step towards broader democratisation and strengthened local governance\u2026 in line with the ongoing reforms process\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 \u2018Strong determination\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n<p>In Gaza, the polls closed at 6 pm to allow counting to take place in daylight because of the lack of electricity in the devastated territory, the CEC told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>Two years of war have destroyed huge areas of Gaza and left more than 72,000 dead, according to its health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.<\/p>\n<p>Public infrastructure, sanitation and health services are all struggling to function.<\/p>\n<p>It was the first vote in Gaza since the 2006 legislative elections which were won by Hamas. They took over a year later and have remained in power ever since.<\/p>\n<p>The PA decided to hold elections in Deir el-Balah to test its \u201csuccess or failure, since there are no post-war opinion polls\u201d, explained political scientist Jamal al-Fadi from Cairo\u2019s Al-Azhar University.<\/p>\n<p>It was chosen because it was one of the few areas where the population has not been largely displaced.<\/p>\n<p>Although the elections were largely symbolic, they were a sign of people\u2019s \u201cwill to live\u201d, said 24-year-old Mohammed al-Hasayna after voting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are an educated people with strong determination and we deserve to have our own state,\u201d he told AFP.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want the world to help us overcome the catastrophe of war. Enough wars \u2014 it\u2019s time to work towards rebuilding Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u7b2c\u4e8c\u901a\u680f\uff1a728\u00d790 \u901a\u680f -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114302\" data-width=\"133\" data-height=\"139\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114302});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:125px; background:#91e7ac; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> Palestinians vote in first elections since Gaza war<br \/>\n<br \/>#Palestinians #vote #elections #Gaza #war<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Electoral workers begin the count after voting closed in Deir el-Balah in Gaza &#8211; Copyright&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[5547,3851,7601,287,340],"class_list":["post-6779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-elections","tag-gaza","tag-palestinians","tag-vote","tag-war"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed134640cd0a0adc4ea6977d31cc70a4160ce4ef.jpg",768,512,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed134640cd0a0adc4ea6977d31cc70a4160ce4ef-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed134640cd0a0adc4ea6977d31cc70a4160ce4ef-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed134640cd0a0adc4ea6977d31cc70a4160ce4ef.jpg",640,427,false],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed134640cd0a0adc4ea6977d31cc70a4160ce4ef.jpg",640,427,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed134640cd0a0adc4ea6977d31cc70a4160ce4ef.jpg",768,512,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed134640cd0a0adc4ea6977d31cc70a4160ce4ef.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed134640cd0a0adc4ea6977d31cc70a4160ce4ef.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed134640cd0a0adc4ea6977d31cc70a4160ce4ef-768x500.jpg",768,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed134640cd0a0adc4ea6977d31cc70a4160ce4ef.jpg",768,512,false],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed134640cd0a0adc4ea6977d31cc70a4160ce4ef-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ed134640cd0a0adc4ea6977d31cc70a4160ce4ef-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}