Overview
- Election officials on Sunday reported that allies of President Mahmoud Abbas won most municipal races, with Fatah’s list taking six of 15 seats in Deir al‑Balah as a Hamas‑aligned slate won two.
- Turnout reached 56% in the West Bank and 23% in Gaza, according to elections chief Rami al‑Hamdallah, showing far lighter participation in war‑damaged Deir al‑Balah.
- The vote, held Saturday across much of the West Bank and in a single pilot city in Gaza, involved about 1.5 million registered West Bank voters and roughly 70,000 eligible in Deir al‑Balah.
- A January decree required candidates to accept the PLO program that recognizes Israel and renounces armed struggle, which barred formal Hamas participation even as some Gaza candidates were seen as aligned with it.
- The elections commission said Israeli restrictions blocked standard ballot materials from entering Gaza and power cuts forced earlier closing there, highlighting the hard limits on reviving basic local services.