Elections take place in occupied Palestinian territories

Gaza's first elections in more than two decades are taking place in Deir al-Balah, one of the only cities in the territory not overrun by Israeli ground forces during the war.

The vote is part of municipal elections taking place across the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Palestinian Authority says the poll is a display of national unity against US and Israeli efforts to entrench the separation of Gaza from the West Bank and East Jerusalem - territories it hopes will form a future Palestinian state.

Poll seen as symbolic and practical step
The vote in Deir al-Balah is seen as a significant step in civic participation and a chance to influence local governance, even as severe political and humanitarian challenges continue across the Strip.

Local journalists report that improving services is top of voters' minds, especially clean water, electricity and sewage management.

Four nominally independent lists of candidates are competing for council seats: Peace and Construction, Deir al Balah Brings Us Together, Future of Deir al Balah and Renaissance of Deir al Balah.

Each list includes 15 candidates, with at least four women, from whom the mayor will be selected.

The election will be closely watched as it is seen as offering a rare barometer of political popularity in Gaza.

Formal political parties like Hamas and Fatah are not officially running, but it will feature some pro-Hamas and pro-Fatah candidates, who are mostly grouped based in tribal and professional alliances.

In 2006, Hamas won the legislative elections in Gaza, and later seized control of the Strip, following a brief civil war with the Palestinian Authority's President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, which is dominant in the West Bank.

Since it seized power, Hamas, which the EU lists as a terrorist group, appointed members to local councils rather than holding elections, isolating its governance from Palestinian Authority leadership in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Central Elections Commission has accredited hundreds of observers from local and international bodies and hired 675 election staff to oversee polling.

It has said that if the Deir al-Balah vote succeeds, it could pave the way for similar elections elsewhere in Gaza.

Restrictions on foreign journalists remain
Citing "security reasons", the Israeli government’s ban on foreign journalists from independently entering Gaza since the war started remains in place, firmly shutting the door to on-the-ground international media coverage of the poll.

The Foreign Press Association continues to denounce the restriction, demanding free and unfettered access for foreign journalists to work alongside their Palestinian colleagues.

According to the UN, more than 260 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since the latest siege began.

The vote is taking place as Israeli strikes, shelling and gunfire continue across the Strip, despite October’s ceasefire.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says 786 Palestinians have been killed and 2,217 injured since.

UN officials say the attacks in residential areas are heightening concern for civilian safety, reiterating that "under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times".

Palestinian health officials say Israel killed at least four Palestinians on Thursday, one in Khan Younis in the south, and three in Maghazi, a refugee camp in Deir al-Balah.

It follows the killings of five people, including three children, in an Israeli airstrike on northern Gaza on Wednesday.

Civil defence officials say the strike hit near a mosque where people had gathered in Beit Lahiya.

Fatah seeks to assert control in West Bank
The polls will be the fifth municipal elections in the occupied West Bank since 2005.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule there, with President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement dominant.

Its political opponents say the party is deeply corrupt and accuse it of collaborating with Israeli security forces.

The elections are taking place as Israel accelerates land confiscation and illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank.

Israeli leaders openly talk of annexing the Palestinian territory, with Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet in February approving steps to increase military control, prompting condemnation from Arab and EU countries.

Competing visions of a post-war Gaza
Fatah has played little or no part in international discussions regarding a post-war Gaza, with many analysts saying the election is an attempt by the party to reassert a foothold in Gaza and counter its arch-rival, Hamas.

But other visions for Gaza’s future are emerging.

Earlier this week, Norway’s foreign minister told Politico that US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is quietly engaging with international partners on preparing for post-conflict governance.

With the FT reporting that Dubai-headquartered multinational logistics company, DP World, is in talks on building infrastructure projects in the Strip.

Gaza desperately needs to secure international funding.

Two years of Israeli bombardment has destroyed four-fifths of buildings, infrastructure is practically non-existent, with global institutions such as the IMF projecting rebuilding costs of around $70 ⁠billion.

Voting is taking place across 12 polling centres, each of which will be equipped with eight polling stations.

The Palestinian Central Elections Commission says around 70,000 people over the age of 18 are eligible to cast their ballots.

The Commission added that the vote is a pivotal milestone, to show the international community that Palestinians can and should have a say in how their lives are governed.