Earlier Saturday, 491 polling centres with 1,922 stations opened at 7 am local time (0400GMT) to receive about 1.03 million voters, who chose representatives for 183 local bodies.
These include 90 municipal councils, including Deir al Balah, contested by 3,773 candidates, as well as 93 village councils contested by 1,358 candidates.
For the first time in 22 years, voting was held in Deir al Balah, where residents cast ballots, as the city is relatively less damaged than other parts of Gaza following the Israeli genocide.
A ceasefire was reached after two years of war that began in October 2023, killing more than 72,000 Palestinians and injuring over 172,000, while causing widespread destruction to about 90% of Gazaâs civilian infrastructure.
The elections come amid an ongoing Palestinian political divide since 2007, underscoring their importance for local governance despite the absence of legislative and presidential elections.
RelatedTRT World – Gazaâs Deir Al Balah holds first vote in 22 years as Hamas hails step towards wider elections
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