Gaza's First Elections Since 2023 Israel Aggression, Low Voter Participation Rate

JAKARTA - Voter participation rates were recorded as low in the general election or local elections that were followed by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. This municipal council election was the first since the Israeli military launched an aggression on Gaza.

According to the Ramallah-based Central Election Commission, quoted by Reuters, nearly 1.5 million people in the Israeli-occupied West Bank are registered as voters for this election, followed by 70,000 people in the Deir El-Balah region in Gaza.

In the early hours of the election, which was held on Saturday, April 25 local time, only a few voters came to the polling stations (TPS) in Al-Bireh, the West Bank and Deir Al-Balah, Gaza.

Towards the morning, the election commission recorded a very low voter turnout of 15 percent. The curve of voters coming to the TPS then increased to 24.53 percent at 1 p.m.

"We are very happy to be able to carry out democracy despite facing many challenges, both locally and internationally," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told journalists after casting his ballot at a polling station in Al-Bireh, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Abbas expressed gratitude that the election was finally held throughout the Gaza Strip.

"Gaza is an integral part of the Palestinian state. Therefore, we have tried our best to ensure that the general election takes place in Deir Al-Balah to confirm the unity of the two parts of this country," he said.

An AFP journalist reported that based on his observations, a number of polling stations in the West Bank were empty of voters yesterday, while foreign diplomats observed the election process.

Pro and Contra of Gaza Elections

On the one hand, one of the voters named Khalid Eid expressed his hope that the results of this election could change the composition of council members.

"We can't change the situation, but we hope to replace people... people who may be better and help develop the community," the 55-year-old said.

However, this election also invited countermeasures. A number of Palestinians questioned the timing of this election, which was considered inappropriate.

The Israeli government is known to have openly continued to expand the illegal Jewish settlement project in the Palestinian area in the West Bank. Followed by many cases of attacks by Israeli settlers whose victims are Palestinians injured or even killed over the past few months.

"The most important thing is the security of the settlers. That is why we need new faces, young people who are willing to fight for our rights," said Abed Jabaieh, 68, a former Ramun Village Kepasa.

"The decision was imposed on us, and therefore we were forced to choose an administrative body for the village council," he continued.

"We don't want elections right now - not with the war in Gaza and the continued settler attacks in the West Bank," said Ziad Hassan, an entrepreneur from Dura Al-Qaraa village.

"The amount of anguish is indescribable... imagine a lifetime of hard work disappearing in a single moment. Scenes from the demolition of a home in the town of Tarqumiya, west of Hebron. pic.twitter.com/Y60WYcC8Xn

— Government Communication Center (@pal_gcc_en) April 22, 2026

According to US media, most voters are in line with the intentions of the secular-nationalist Fatah movement founded by Yasir Arafat in the 1950s. Fatah, despite being constantly attacked by Israel, has put diplomacy first since the Oslo Accords in the 1990s.

The Palestinian independence group Hamas, Fatah's rival that rules the local council in Gaza, did not take part in the election.

In many areas within the Gaza Strip, the list of candidates for council members supported by Fatah is facing independent candidates supported by small factions such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) which is Marxist-Leninist.

City Council

The official account of the Palestinian Government Communication Center, @pal_gcc_en, revealed that voters who can participate in this municipal council election can cast their votes in 491 areas with 1,922 polling stations.

The communications center said voters can cast their ballots for 183 councils, with 321 lists and 3,773 candidates competing in municipal elections in the West Bank and in Gaza.

Those elected in these elections will serve on municipal councils or city councils or local leaders in the city. In their duties and functions, municipal councils will oversee water systems, sanitation, and local infrastructure, but will not make laws.

Can you imagine your child forced to run barefoot after a water tank on tiny feet—just to get a drop of water?

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝑮𝒂𝒛𝒂. 𝑫𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. pic.twitter.com/Fn2UMQId1e

— PM of Palestine (@PalestinePMO) April 23, 2026

Municipal council elections have been one of the last remaining democratic mechanisms under the Palestinian Authority since presidential or legislative elections were frozen in 2006.

The European Union considers this election as "an important step towards wider democratization and strengthening local government ... in line with the ongoing reform process."

Gaza has been devastated by the Israeli military's two-year assault. The Israeli military in its aggression to Gaza is not deterred, destruction has hit public infrastructure, sanitation services, and the health sector in Gaza, which is now struggling to be repaired.

Based on the latest data as of April 2026, the local Ministry of Health recorded more than 72,000 people were killed in Gaza since Israel carried out its ground operation in October 2023.