In Gaza, approximately 70,000 voters – less than five percent of the population – were eligible to cast their ballot in an election that was viewed as largely symbolic. It is the first election held in the territory since Hamas took over in 2006. “Honestly, as a Palestinian and a son of the Gaza Strip, I feel proud that after this war, the democratic process is returning,” Mamdouh al-Bhaisi, a 52-year-old voter, told Reuters.

“I am overjoyed, and I pray that everyone will participate and contribute to the success of this great democratic celebration.” Palestinian men gather in front of a polling station to participate in municipal elections in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on Saturday. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP The elections in Gaza were held despite enormous challenges, including a lack of suitable polling places, a shortage of ballot boxes and more, according to Jamil al-Khalidi, the regional director of the Palestinian elections commission. Many of the schools that would have served as polling places were destroyed in Israeli strikes, he told CNN, forcing the elections committee to use tents instead.

“We were determined to hold these elections and find the necessary alternatives to ensure the success of the electoral process,” al-Khalidi said. Hamas was officially excluded from participating in Saturday’s municipal election, as the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) required the parties and candidates running to accept certain commitments, including recognition of Israel and support for a two-state solution. But the results of the polls, along with voter turnout, are expected to help gauge Hamas’ popularity after two years of war.

A polling official marks the finger of a Palestinian voter with ink during Saturday’s municipal election at a polling station in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. Mahmoud Issa/Reuters Despite not running an official candidate list, Hamas’ police forces secured the polling sites in Deir al-Balah, surrounding each location with armed guards. “Holding municipal elections in Deir al-Balah is a positive and important step,” said Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem on Saturday as he called for presidential and legislative elections, which also have not been held in two decades.

“We see (the municipal elections) as an important and necessary step, and we hope they will expand to all governorates of the Gaza Strip.” Ashraf Shuaibi, the head of the Central Elections Commission, said Saturday’s vote in Gaza can be a model for Palestinian national elections as well. “It was heartwarming to see Gaza locally built ballot boxes and locally printed ballot papers provide first time elections in 21 years and a devastating war,” Shuaibi said. Results are expected to be released as soon as Saturday night or Sunday.

The election was also an opportunity for the Palestinian Authority to show a measure of unified governance over both the West Bank and Gaza, holding elections in both places. The Fatah-led authority has not held any real measures of power in Gaza since it was kicked out by Hamas nearly two decades ago. “Today’s election is not only important for democratic governance in the occupied Palestinian territories, but it is also significant that the (Central Elections Committee) was able to deliver elections in Deir al-Balah, where residents facing displacement and hardship have not voted in elections for 20 years,” said Sarah Johnson, the director of the democracy program at the Carter Center, a nonprofit that monitors elections around the world.

“Gaza’s inclusion is fundamental to any credible path toward self-determination and to affirming the national and territorial unity that a political horizon requires.” Palestinian women line up in front of a polling station in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, one of the areas that suffered the least destruction during nearly two years of Israeli bombardment. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP A Palestinian woman shows her marked finger after voting in municial elections on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Many voters viewed the election as a chance to express their desire for Palestinian self-determination and a way forward, especially after Israel’s bombardment of Gaza destroyed much of the territory. A reformed Palestinian Authority is also a key part of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement, and elections are viewed as a v