عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Gaza Prepares for First Local Elections in Two Decades

Election campaign banners showing candidates for the upcoming municipal elections hang on a building in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
Election campaign banners showing candidates for the upcoming municipal elections hang on a building in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Gaza Prepares for First Local Elections in Two Decades

Election campaign banners showing candidates for the upcoming municipal elections hang on a building in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
Election campaign banners showing candidates for the upcoming municipal elections hang on a building in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026. (AFP)

Deir al-Balah in central Gaza will hold the enclave’s first local elections in nearly two decades, with voting set to begin on Saturday alongside municipal polls in the occupied West Bank.

A decree by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas designated Deir al-Balah as the only voting site in Gaza, citing its relatively limited damage from the Israeli war and better-preserved infrastructure compared with other areas.

Gaza last held local elections in 2005, when Hamas secured a majority. It followed with a legislative election win a year later and in 2007 consolidated control of the enclave after a conflict with rival Fatah. From 2005 to 2023, Hamas appointed members of local councils and municipalities across Gaza.

This vote comes after a two-year war that has reshaped the enclave and added political and operational challenges.

Who can vote?

The Central Elections Commission said about 70,449 registered voters in Deir al-Balah are eligible to cast ballots at 12 polling centers. These include open areas fitted with tents, while schools remain shelters for displaced residents.

The figure excludes many displaced people now living in the city, as only original residents are allowed to vote.

The commission has accredited 292 observers from 10 local monitoring groups and 45 journalists. Around 675 staff will run polling operations to ensure compliance with legal and professional standards.

Jamil al-Khalidi, the commission’s regional director in Gaza, told Asharq Al-Awsat the system uses closed lists. Voters select one list and cast votes for five candidates from it. A 15-member municipal council will be formed from the candidates who get the most votes, with at least four seats reserved for women.

Khalidi said ballot boxes and papers were ready ahead of Saturday, with 12 centers prepared across nine tents and three civil society facilities. Each center will include eight polling stations.

Preliminary results are expected on Sunday morning. All competing lists are independent and clan-based, with competition driven largely by geographic and family ties.

Who will secure the vote?

Khalidi said the Palestinian civil police, effectively the Hamas-run force, will secure the process.

He added that officers will keep their distance from polling centers due to the risk of Israeli strikes. They will deploy without weapons and intervene only if needed, before returning to positions outside the sites.

A private security company had been considered to handle the task, but Gaza’s civil police insisted on taking responsibility, and a plan was agreed with all parties, Khalidi said.

Commitment to the PLO program

Four lists are competing and campaigning has been more visible online than on the ground, with limited posters. Observers say the lists are self-funded, without factional backing.

Candidates were required to sign a pledge committing to the program of the Palestine Liberation Organization and recognizing it as the legitimate representative.

This requirement is contentious for Hamas, as it implies adherence to positions including recognition of Israel. The Palestinian Authority is seeking to enforce the pledge in line with its commitment to a two-state solution.

A local source said some candidates have past ties to Fatah and Hamas but are running as independents. No faction has publicly endorsed any of the competing lists.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Egypt Keeps Communication Channels Open Over Mediterranean Maritime Disputes

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan during a previous meeting (Egyptian Foreign Ministry). 
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan during a previous meeting (Egyptian Foreign Ministry). 
TT
TT

Egypt Keeps Communication Channels Open Over Mediterranean Maritime Disputes

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan during a previous meeting (Egyptian Foreign Ministry). 
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan during a previous meeting (Egyptian Foreign Ministry). 

Egypt said it remains in contact with Türkiye, Libya, Cyprus and Greece to resolve maritime boundary disputes through dialogue and international law, despite its rejection of a disputed Turkish-Libyan maritime agreement.

Cairo’s remarks came after Ankara renewed its offer to negotiate a maritime boundary agreement with Egypt that would serve both countries’ interests. The proposal followed Egypt’s rejection of the Libyan parliament’s ratification last week of a maritime memorandum signed with Türkiye in late 2019.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ambassador Nader Zaki told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cairo believes maritime differences must be resolved through “serious dialogue, adherence to international law and mutual respect for sovereign rights.”

“Channels of communication remain open with all parties, including Cyprus, Greece, Türkiye and Libya,” he said, citing Egypt’s commitment to its longstanding ties with countries on both shores of the Mediterranean.

Zaki stressed that those relations must be built on respect for international law and sovereign rights that “cannot be compromised,” while avoiding disputes that could undermine stability and relations among Mediterranean states.

Cairo Reaffirms Rejection of Turkish-Libyan Agreement

Libya’s House of Representatives voted last week to approve two agreements with Türkiye covering maritime boundaries and security cooperation, prompting Cairo to reiterate its rejection of the maritime deal as “absolutely null and void.”

Zaki said Egypt’s latest objection was consistent with its position since 2019, arguing that the memorandum infringes on its sovereign rights in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

“Egypt’s position on this invalid memorandum is based on national interests and the rejection of any infringement upon them,” he said.

The spokesman also challenged the agreement’s legal basis, saying it violates several binding principles of international law, including the principle that treaties do not create obligations for third parties.

“An agreement signed by two states is not binding on other states,” he explained.

Zaki also cited the prohibition against infringing on the rights of third countries and the principle of equitable maritime delimitation, arguing that the memorandum disregards these established legal rules.

“Egypt’s legal position is extremely strong and is shared by many countries,” he said.

Erdogan Calls for Regional Dialogue

The Turkish-Libyan memorandum has also drawn objections from Greece, Cyprus and the European Union.

Responding to criticism on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara was not seeking political gains at the expense of any party in the Eastern Mediterranean.

He called for dialogue with all countries in the region and pledged to maintain Türkiye’s relations with all parties involved in Libya.

Arab World

Türkiye, Egypt to Hold Naval Drills Amid Eastern Mediterranean Tensions

Egypt and Türkiye resumed the Sea of Friendship naval exercises in September 2025 after a 13-year suspension. (Turkish Defense Ministry)
Egypt and Türkiye resumed the Sea of Friendship naval exercises in September 2025 after a 13-year suspension. (Turkish Defense Ministry)
TT
TT

Türkiye, Egypt to Hold Naval Drills Amid Eastern Mediterranean Tensions

Egypt and Türkiye resumed the Sea of Friendship naval exercises in September 2025 after a 13-year suspension. (Turkish Defense Ministry)
Egypt and Türkiye resumed the Sea of Friendship naval exercises in September 2025 after a 13-year suspension. (Turkish Defense Ministry)

Türkiye and Egypt will hold joint naval exercises in Alexandria from November 4 to 9, Ankara announced, amid renewed tensions over a disputed maritime boundary agreement between Türkiye and Libya.

The announcement follows the Libyan parliament’s ratification of the 2019 agreement, drawing objections from Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, the European Union and Israel.

The Turkish Defense Ministry said the Sea of Friendship 2026 exercises would involve naval units and personnel from both countries in surface warfare, anti-submarine operations, air defense and underwater assault training involving combat divers.

Defense Ministry spokesman Zeki Akturk said the Turkish warship TCG Burgazada would visit Alexandria from November 1 to 3, following a port call in Souda, Greece, from October 25 to 28.

Growing military cooperation

The exercises reflect expanding military cooperation between Cairo and Ankara, including defense industry agreements, technology transfers, high-level military exchanges and joint training.

Turkish Land Forces Commander Gen. Metin Tokel visited Egypt on October 26 and 27, although the ministry provided no details about his meetings or itinerary.

The two countries resumed the Sea of Friendship exercises in September 2025 at the Aksaz naval base in Mugla, southwestern Türkiye, following a 13-year suspension amid tensions over the ouster of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood government. Cairo designates the Brotherhood a terrorist organization.

The drills had previously been held annually from 2009 to 2013.

Following the normalization of relations in 2024, Egypt and Türkiye signed a letter of intent on defense cooperation in July 2026 during Egyptian Defense Minister Ashraf Salem Zaher’s visit to Ankara.

Zaher held talks with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler, on expanding military cooperation, particularly in joint training, defense manufacturing, technology transfer and exchanges of expertise.

The two countries have since conducted several joint exercises, including Golden Eagle, involving Egyptian paratroopers and commandos alongside Turkish special forces, as well as air force training.

Egyptian aircraft also participated in the annual Anatolian Eagle 2026 exercise in Konya, central Türkiye, in June, alongside Azerbaijan and a NATO airborne early warning aircraft.

Regional tensions

The exercises come against a backdrop of renewed tensions following the Libyan House of Representatives’ October 20 ratification of a maritime boundary memorandum signed on November 27, 2019, between Türkiye and Libya’s former Government of National Accord, led by Fayez al-Sarraj.

The agreement remains contested by neighboring countries and the European Union.

Ankara has renewed its offer to negotiate maritime boundaries with Egypt, saying that an agreement with Türkiye would give Cairo more than 15,000 additional square kilometers of maritime jurisdiction compared with a potential deal with Greece.

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis rejected the proposal’s underlying approach, telling the newspaper Kathimerini that maritime zones were “not up for auction.”

He reaffirmed Greece’s strategic ties with Egypt and their shared commitment to international law, warning that disregarding maritime rules could have repercussions for global trade, food and energy security, and ocean protection.

Gerapetritis also pointed to a joint statement issued Monday by the UN representatives of Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union opposing the Türkiye-Libya agreement.

He noted that Egypt’s permanent representative to the United Nations stood alongside him in New York as he delivered the statement.

Despite the maritime dispute, Türkiye and Greece are continuing military confidence-building efforts.

Akturk said the commander of Greece’s Tactical Air Force and an accompanying delegation would visit Türkiye’s Combat Air Force Command from November 3 to 5 under the two countries’ confidence-building plan.

Arab World

Lebanese Forces Boycott Cabinet Meeting Over Hezbollah Explosives Case

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairs a cabinet meeting in the absence of Lebanese Forces ministers. (Prime Minister’s Office)
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairs a cabinet meeting in the absence of Lebanese Forces ministers. (Prime Minister’s Office)
TT
TT

Lebanese Forces Boycott Cabinet Meeting Over Hezbollah Explosives Case

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairs a cabinet meeting in the absence of Lebanese Forces ministers. (Prime Minister’s Office)
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairs a cabinet meeting in the absence of Lebanese Forces ministers. (Prime Minister’s Office)

Ministers from the Lebanese Forces party boycotted a cabinet meeting on Thursday over the government’s failure to refer a case involving Hezbollah explosives seized in Dahr al-Baidar to Lebanon’s Judicial Council.

The boycott marked an escalation in the dispute after the case was left off the agenda of a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Grand Serail and devoted to waste management.

Lebanese Forces sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the party could continue boycotting cabinet sessions as long as its demands remained unmet, although it might participate in meetings addressing matters of major strategic importance.

The standoff follows the cabinet’s decision at its previous meeting to postpone a ruling on whether to refer the case to the Judicial Council, pending further progress in the investigation.

Hezbollah has acknowledged responsibility for the explosives shipment, but the Lebanese Forces argue that the seriousness of the case warrants an immediate referral.

Ahead of Thursday’s meeting, Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who is affiliated with the Lebanese Forces, vowed to press the issue.

“I will raise the question of referring the Dahr al-Baidar explosives case to the Judicial Council. There will be no concessions or compromise,” he declared.

Nassar added that he would demand a date for discussing the referral if Salam refused to address it during the session.

Lebanese Forces sources accused the government of repeatedly avoiding a decision on the explosives case.

“The waste management issue is certainly important, but there are more pressing priorities today, foremost among them a case of the magnitude of the Dahr al-Baidar explosives,” they told Asharq Al-Awsat.

They criticized the repeated postponements, arguing that successive Cabinet meetings had failed to produce a decision on referring the case to the Judicial Council.

The party had taken a clear position against attending Cabinet sessions until the matter was resolved, the sources explained.

“A case of this magnitude cannot continue to be handled through repeated delays while meetings are held to discuss other issues, however important they may be,” they added.

The Lebanese Forces stepped up criticism of the judicial investigation, accusing authorities of overlooking public admissions by senior Hezbollah officials while pursuing lower-ranking operatives who lacked the authority to order the explosives shipment.

In a statement, the party’s media office noted that senior Hezbollah officials, including lawmakers and party leaders, had publicly acknowledged that the group was transporting the explosives and that they belonged to it.

The Lebanese Forces described the Dahr al-Baidar case as a matter of national security affecting all Lebanese citizens.

Whatever justification was offered for transporting the explosives, the shipment posed a serious danger even if Hezbollah’s claim that the materials were intended for use against Israel proved true, it added.

The explosives represented a grave threat to residents of South Lebanon in particular and to the Lebanese population as a whole, the statement warned.