Palestinian municipal elections were held in Gaza’s Deir al-Balah Saturday, marking the first elections of any kind in the besieged strip since 2006. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, loyalists of the Palestinian Authority’s President Mahmoud Abbas won most races, running unchallenged in many seats. Candidates in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority secured six of 15 contested seats. Hamas boycotted the West Bank race and did not formally nominate candidates in Gaza. Voter turnout in Gaza reached just 23%, while turnout in the West Bank was 56%. This is Mohammed al-Hasanat, a first-time voter in Gaza.

Mohamed al-Hasanat: “I was happy today because I was able to vote and cast my ballot in the elections. I was surprised, though, that the ballot box was made of wood and the pen was a felt-tip pen, not official ink. Despite that, we are still able to vote and elect and face all challenges. We want to vote. We want to rebuild Gaza from scratch, and we want to rebuild it.”