Gaza to hold municipal elections after two decades

The Gaza city of Deir al-Balah is set to hold municipal elections after nearly two decades. Despite the reality of violence and siege, the opportunity to exercise their right to vote after a long time has sparked optimism among Palestinian citizens in the region, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday (April 23).
This is the first time since 2006 that local elections will be held in the city, which is outside the control of Israeli ground forces. Hamas is not participating in the elections and has not officially endorsed any candidate. However, some pro-Hamas candidates are running in the elections. It is worth noting that Hamas won the last legislative elections in Gaza almost 20 years ago.
The interest in the elections among local residents is notable. “This is the first time in my life that I feel this way,” said 34-year-old Adham al-Bardini. “I have heard about elections since I was born, but I have never felt the excitement of elections because of the circumstances. But now that the opportunity has come, we do not want to miss it, so we want to participate.” At the same time, there is excitement among young people about the elections. “After two years of war and destruction, everyone wants to rebuild the country. That’s why everyone is interested in participating in these elections,” said 25-year-old Abdul-Rahman al-Shaaf. Analysts say the elections could bring new momentum to Gaza’s political process despite the ongoing crisis, although they believe that larger-scale changes are needed to improve the overall situation.