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Pro-Hamas Candidates Compete in Gaza's First Poll Since 2006
Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, will vote in Gaza's municipal elections—the territory's first poll of any kind since 2006. Four candidate lists are fielding candidates, including one viewed as pro-Hamas, although Hamas itself has not endorsed any list. The vote is seen as a barometer of Hamas popularity and a symbolic gesture of unity amid broader debates over Gaza's future.
Why It Matters
The municipal election serves as a rare gauge of Hamas's standing in Gaza and tests Gaza's integration with broader Palestinian political processes amid proposals for Gaza's future governance.
Timeline
6 Events
Gaza Deir al-Balah municipal election coverage (April 22, 2026 reporting)
April 22, 2026
Reporting on Deir al-Balah's vote: about 70,000 Palestinians are eligible to vote in 12 polling centres, with four candidate lists fielding candidates, including one that residents and analysts regard as pro-Hamas. Hamas has not explicitly fielded a list or endorsed any candidate. Hamas says it will respect the election results, and sources say it will deploy police and security forces to polling sites. The vote is described as Gaza's first since 2006 and, though set for this weekend, is part of a broader PA effort to demonstrate unity amid a new U.S. plan for Gaza.
January 2026 PA plan to extend West Bank elections to Gaza
January 2026
In January, the PA said it would extend West Bank municipal elections to Gaza 'wherever possible', a move analysts view as a symbolic effort to show Gaza remains part of a future Palestinian state.
October 2025 poll shows Hamas support in Gaza
October 2025
An October 2025 poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found that 41% of Palestinians in Gaza supported Hamas, followed by 29% supporting Fatah.
Hamas reasserts control after October 2025 ceasefire
October 2025
Hamas reasserted control of Deir al-Balah and other areas in a stretch of Gaza's coast from which Israeli forces withdrew under an October 2025 ceasefire.
Hamas wins PA legislative elections and takes control of Gaza
2006
In 2006, Hamas won the PA's legislative elections and later seized control of Gaza following a brief civil war with PA President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
West Bank municipal elections context since 2005
2005
The article notes that the Gaza vote is part of Palestinian Authority municipal elections, with the West Bank having held five municipal elections since 2005.