President Mahmoud Abbas loyalists achieved major victories in the recent Palestinian municipal elections. Notably, this election marked the first time in decades that a city within the Hamas-run Gaza Strip participated.

<img alt="Abdel Kareem Hana/The Associated Press" height="349" src="https://i.cbc.ca/ais/bbd6c765-00ba-42b5-bcb9-c0ce0e73c483,1777225361920/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C37%2C7981%2C4489%29%3BResize%3D%28620%29" title="A Palestinian woman places her ballot vote for local elections, the first in two decades in Gaza and the first in the occupied West Bank since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem ...