On 25 April, local elections were held in municipalities and village councils across the West Bank, and in Deir al-Balah in Gaza; marking the first vote held in parts of Gaza in over 20 years. While the elections represent a positive step toward renewed local electoral participation, the process took place under a 2025 presidential decree by Mahmoud Abbas, which requires candidates to commit to the programme of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and allows the Central Elections Commission to disqualify candidates who do not pledge allegiance. Several political factions and civil society groups criticised these provisions as introducing new restrictions on eligibility and constraining political pluralism.

Sources: Central Elections Commission of Palestine, Independent Commission for Human Rights, Al Quds, The New Arab

On 8 February, Israel’s security cabinet approved a series of measures that unilaterally expand Israeli administrative and legal control in the occupied West Bank. The measures include facilitating the registration and acquisition of legal title to land seized by Israeli settlers in the territory, removing restrictions on land purchases by Jewish citizens, thus expanding Israeli authority over planning and administrative matters in areas under Palestinian Authority administration, and reviving mechanisms for state-led land acquisition and expropriation in the territory. International observers have warned that these steps constitute significant moves toward the de facto annexation of the West Bank.

Update: The measures were followed by a further expansion of the illegal settlements. At the end of March, the security cabinet approved the establishment of 34 settlements in the West Bank, including new settlements and previously unauthorized outposts that were retroactively legalized. The decision represents the largest single approval of settlements by any Israeli government and brings the total number of settlements authorized under the current government to 103.

Sources: The Times of Israel (1), Middle East Eye, Amnesty International, The Times of Israel (2)

On 19 November, President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree-law introducing a new framework for the Palestinian municipal elections scheduled for April 2026. A key provision of the law requires all candidates wishing to participate in the elections to sign a declaration of allegiance to the political programme of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). This requirement has raised concerns as rights groups warn that it effectively excludes political actors and organizations outside the PLO framework from participating in the elections. A total of five factions—including four that are formally affiliated with the PLO (the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Palestine People’s Party, and the Palestinian Democratic Union) and one independent faction, the Palestinian National Initiative (Al-Mubadara)—have rejected the requirement and called for the withdrawal of the presidential decree.

Sources: Central Elections Commission, Independent Commission for Human Rights, Al Quds

On 10 October, a new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in Gaza, following the signing of a deal based on a 'peace plan' proposed by the United States. The agreement's first phase focuses on halting military operations, partially withdrawing Israeli troops, and allowing humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. As part of this phase, on 13 October, Hamas released all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages and Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Despite these steps, violence resumed between 19 and 31 October, with Israeli strikes in Gaza killing at least 148 Palestinians. Israel stated the strikes were in response to Hamas’s delays in returning the remains of some of the hostages who died in Gaza. Although the deal also planned for roughly 600 aid trucks to be allowed to enter Gaza daily, reports stated that only about 94 trucks per day crossed between 10 and 21 October, leaving humanitarian needs critical. It remains uncertain whether the ceasefire will hold, and whether it will reduce violence and enable the delivery of aid.

Sources: WAFA News Agency, Associated Press (1), The National, Associated Press (2), Council on Foreign Relations, France 24, The Guardian