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‘Solutions, not slogans’: Gaza holds first election in 21 years
The central Gaza city is gearing up for a historic municipal election, but residents say they want tangible solutions, not political slogans.
Residents of Gaza’s Deir el-Balah are heading to the polls on Saturday for the territory’s first municipal elections in more than two decades, hoping to restore local governance while still reeling from Israel’s devastating war.
The central city was selected as a testing ground for a revival of the democratic process because it sustained less infrastructural damage than other areas in the besieged enclave. Nevertheless, the scars of Israel’s genocidal war there are stark.
In December 2024, Israeli forces bombed the Deir el-Balah municipality building, killing then-Mayor Diab al-Jarou and 10 staff members as they worked to provide essential services for displaced Palestinians. The deadly attack was carried out despite the Israeli military having designated the city as a “safe zone”.
Today, the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) – the independent body responsible for administering elections across the Palestinian territories – views the vote as a pivotal milestone.
Jamil al-Khalidi, the CEC’s regional director, told Al Jazeera that the April 25 election will be part of a broader process, including 420 local councils in the occupied West Bank, with Deir el-Balah the sole participating municipality in Gaza.
It marks a significant departure from the policy of administrative appointments that has governed the Strip under Hamas leadership for the past 21 years.
About 70,000 eligible voters over the age of 18 can cast their ballots between 7am and 5pm (04:00-14:00 GMT). To ensure a smooth process, the CEC has launched a toll-free hotline for residents to verify their registration status. Voting will take place at 12 electoral centres in spaces such as local stadiums, women’s activity centres and former clinics. Each centre will be equipped with eight polling stations.
Voters will be selecting from lists of candidates. “The electoral system relies on closed lists,” al-Khalidi explained. Each list must include at least 15 candidates, with a minimum of four women. Voters will first choose one of four lists, then they will cast preference votes for five specific candidates within that list.
The 15 candidates with the most support will form the new local council, while ensuring female representation is maintained.
Formal political parties like Hamas or Fatah are not running under their official banners in this election. Instead, candidates are largely grouped based in tribal or professional alliances.
Clean water, not politics
Four nominally independent lists of candidates are competing for council seats: Peace and Construction, Deir el-Balah Brings Us Together, Future of Deir el-Balah and Renaissance of Deir el-Balah.
In interviews with Al Jazeera, figures including Mohammed Abu Nasser – head of the Peace and Construction list – and Faten Harb – candidate for Renaissance of Deir el-Balah – have been eager to emphasise that their platforms are strictly service-oriented, focused on transparency, and operate “away from partisanship”.
Debate in Gaza persists about candidates’ underlying affiliations in a deeply divided political landscape. Ultimately, however, for many war-weary residents, the return to the ballot box is meaningless unless it translates to real-world improvements for Palestinians.
“The citizen today is not looking for slogans, but for real solutions,” resident Rabha al-Bhaisi told Al Jazeera, pointing to the dire need for basic services such as clean water, electricity and sewage management.
