Palestinians in West Bank and some in Gaza vote in local elections

Palestinians have voted in local elections on Saturday, including the first poll of any kind to be held in Gaza since 2006.Electionstook place across the occupied West Bank, as well as in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, where Hamas operates.Hamas was not allowed to stand and several other factions have boycotted it over a requirement that candidates recognise the authority of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA) governing the parts of the occupied West Bank not under Israeli control.Fatah, the faction led by President Mahmoud Abbas and which dominates the PLO, was violently ousted from Gaza after the last elections there, which Hamas won, triggering a power struggle between the two groups.More than a million voters across the Palestinian territories are eligible to take part, according to the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission, including 70,000 in Deir al-Balah, where 12 polling stations were scheduled to operate. Results are expected late on Saturday or on Sunday.While Hamas was not on the ballot in Deir al-Balah, news agency Reuters reported that one slate of candidates was widely seen as being aligned with it.The central city was chosen as the sole Gaza area where elections would take place as it was not as badly damaged as other places during the Israel-Hamas war. A fragile ceasefire is in place as part of US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan, which halted the fighting in October last year.Hamas continues to operate in parts of Gaza where Israeli forces have withdrawn from, and Reuters reported that its police force was involved in security operations around polling stations.