PA Local Elections Open Across West Bank and Gaza, First in Gaza Since 2007
Palestinian Authority local elections opened across the West Bank and Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, with about 1 million eligible voters including roughly 70,000 from Gaza; polls close by 7 p.m. and initial results are due overnight. The ballots operate under a 2025 electoral law with two systems—open‑list proportional representation for municipal councils and a majority system for village councils. Some factions are boycotting to protest PA demands that candidates back its Israel‑recognition framework. Gaza’s vote marks its first since Hamas took control in 2007, though Hamas has not officially fielded candidates; one Deir al-Balah list is widely seen as aligned with it, and Hamas police are slated to secure polling stations in Gaza.
