In coastal Deir Al Balah, there were queues of a different kind to those Gaza was used to in wartime: instead of waiting for food, people were in line to vote.
“I exercised my right to vote for the first time in my life,” Ibrahim Al Qatta, 34, told The National, after casting his ballot in municipal elections. In a place long defined by blockade and war, the very act of holding elections felt, to him, like “a major achievement”.
Held on the same day as local elections in the occupied West Bank, the poll in Deir Al Balah – which was somewhat less damaged than many areas of Gaza by Israel's onslaught – was hailed as a show of Palestinian unity. It was the first election of any kind in Gaza for 20 years.
It offered Palestinians a rare moment of civic participation at what many describe as a turning point for their cause. But turnout in Deir Al Balah was low, at 23 per cent, a figure blamed on postwar conditions and outdated voter lists.
“Despite everything, this is an important step towards strengthening the democratic process,” said Jamil Al Khalidi, regional director of the Central Elections Commission in Gaza. “It sends a message that Palestinians are capable of governing themselves.
Hamas – under pressure from Israel and the US to cede power in Gaza – neither fielded candidates nor prevented the election from taking place. But some candidates on the Deir Al Balah Unites Us list were seen as aligned with Hamas.
The Deir Al Balah Renaissance list was associated with the Fatah faction that runs the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Two other lists were not affiliated with either faction.
Results showed the Renaissance group coming out on top, winning six seats on Deir Al Balah's 15-member municipal council. Deir Al Balah Unites Us won two.
Restrained campaign
Compared to many election campaigns filled with grand promises, candidates touted their pitches to Deir Al Balah voters as restrained and realistic.
Faten Harb, one of the winners on the Renaissance list, said her team had deliberately avoided exaggeration. A prominent community figure known as a Mukhtara, she has spent years mediating disputes and working in local institutions.
“We based our campaign on rational thinking,” she told The National. “We presented ideas that reflect the reality people are living.”
The Renaissance list's 15 candidates called for practical improvements such as better municipal services, stronger infrastructure and social cohesion. The candidates included engineers, teachers, doctors and lawyers.
Ms Harb said Israeli restrictions and the broader political situation will inevitably shape what the municipal council can achieve, affecting everything from services to development projects.
Still, she believes the council can make a “qualitative shift”, particularly in essential services like water, education and road maintenance.
Faisal Mazeed, a candidate from the Deir Al Balah Unites Us list, described a modest campaign using posters, small gatherings and community meetings. “We listened to people,” he told The National.
Like Ms Harb, Mr Mazeed emphasised realism and immediate needs such as sewage systems, roads and markets. One proposal was to set up neighbourhood committees to hear residents' views on services.
“We wanted to stay connected to citizens,” he said, “not speak above them.”
For voters like Mr Al Qatta, the realistic tone mattered. Before casting his ballot, he attended as number of campaign sessions, listening closely to each list’s proposals.
“I cared about choosing the best and most qualified candidates,” he says. “Especially in this difficult time.”
He found that most candidates shared a similar tone – grounded, practical and aware of the limits imposed by the current situation. He said differences were more of approach and ideology.
While turnout was modest, the significance of the elections extends beyond percentages. For Mr Al Khalidi, the success of the election process lies not only in its execution but in the willingness of citizens to re-engage with public life.
Yet for a city accustomed to waiting for relief, for electricity, for stability, the act of voting signals something different: initiative.
As Ms Harb puts it, the goal is simple, if not easy – “to serve citizens and improve life”. And for the first time in years, many in Deir Al Balah believe they have taken a step towards doing exactly that.
