Palestinians in West Bank and some in Gaza vote in local elections

Local elections have been held in the occupied West Bank and in one Gazan city, though Hamas and other groups are not taking part.

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Electionstook place across the occupied West Bank, as well as in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, where Hamas operates.

Hamas was not allowed to stand and several other factions have boycotted it over a requirement that candidates recognise the authority of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA) governing the parts of the occupied West Bank not under Israeli control.

Fatah, the faction led by President Mahmoud Abbas and which dominates the PLO, was violently ousted from Gaza after the last elections there, which Hamas won, triggering a power struggle between the two groups.

More than a million voters across the Palestinian territories are eligible to take part, according to the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission, including 70,000 in Deir al-Balah, where 12 polling stations were scheduled to operate. Results are expected late on Saturday or on Sunday.