Abbas Loyalists Dominate Palestinian Municipal Vote, Including First Gaza Election Since 2006

Mahmoud Abbas’s loyalists swept most Palestinian municipal races, turning a local vote into a sharp test of succession, legitimacy and control inside Palestinian politics. The clearest signal came from Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, where a Fatah-backed slate won six of 15 contested seats and a list widely seen as aligned with Hamas managed only two, underscoring how badly the movement has been weakened as a governing force in the territory.

The Palestinian Central Elections Commission said the fifth round of local elections was held on April 25, 2026 under a new system that used open lists for municipal councils. Voting took place in 183 local authorities in the West Bank and in Deir al-Balah, out of 420 local authorities included after the Palestinian Cabinet postponed elections in most southern Gaza governorates except Deir al-Balah. By 1:00 p.m., 252,549 voters had cast ballots out of 1,029,550 eligible voters, a turnout of 24.53%. In Deir al-Balah, turnout reached 40.62% by 5:00 p.m.

That limited but symbolic Gaza contest mattered far beyond municipal services. Reuters reported it was the first election of any kind in Gaza since 2006, and AP described it as the first local vote in Gaza in two decades and the first in the West Bank since the Gaza war began. The election came after more than two years of war sparked by Hamas’ cross-border attack on southern Israel, leaving Palestinian politics under immense strain and making even a small-scale vote a proxy battle over who can still claim to represent Palestinians.

Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa called the ballot “an important first step” in a broader national process, language meant to frame municipal competition as part of a longer effort to restore democratic life and eventually reunify Palestinian institutions. Fatah spokesperson Abdul Fattah Dawla said turnout was close to that of the last West Bank municipal elections in 2022, an argument intended to blunt claims that public participation had collapsed.

Reham Ouda, a Palestinian analyst, said the results could point to residents seeking “unrestricted international support” for municipal governance and a gradual political shift. Hamas did not formally field candidates in Gaza and boycotted the West Bank race, though some residents and analysts believed a few contenders were close to the movement. Even so, the Deir al-Balah outcome suggested that Abbas-aligned forces still retain the strongest organizational base, while Hamas’ influence may be increasingly contested even in places it once dominated.