Gazans Watch Election with Fear, No Vote — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Gaza's civilians have no direct say in Israel's October 27 election, but displaced Palestinians told Al Jazeera they are tracking the race because its outcome will determine whether forced displacement and the war's trajectory continue.
- Israel's war on Gaza has killed more than 70,000 people since October 2023, and a ceasefire that took effect on October 10 has not ended the violence — at least 1,399 Palestinians have been killed and 4,863 injured since then.
- Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party and a frontrunner in the race, served in Netanyahu's government during the first eight months of the war and supports West Bank settlements that are illegal under international law.
- Netanyahu's potential return to lead the government with far-right backing — including Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has called for expelling all Palestinians — is viewed by Palestinians as the worst-case outcome for displacement and humanitarian conditions.
- Israeli affairs expert Ahed Farawaneh told Al Jazeera recent polls show neither the governing bloc nor the opposition likely to reach the 61 Knesset seats needed to govern alone, with war in Gaza, the US-Israel war on Iran, and far-right pressure all shaping the campaign.
- Almost all of Gaza's population has been displaced during the war, often multiple times; 30-year-old Maryam al-Dabala told Al Jazeera she has been displaced about 14 times and lives in tents that don't protect from cold or bombardment.
- An opposition-led government might be more responsive to international pressure, according to Farawaneh, but would also face pressure from the far right — meaning any policy shift on Gaza would be partial at best.
Why it matters: With neither political bloc projected to win 61 Knesset seats, the election's outcome could hinge on far-right coalition demands, and Palestinian interviewees told Al Jazeera they expect continued forced displacement, aid shortages, and bombardment regardless of who wins — placing roughly 2 million displaced Gazans at the mercy of coalition arithmetic in a vote they cannot cast.
Ask SkimNews
