Xinhua
27 Oct 2026, 20:15 GMT+10
GAZA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are watching Israel's ongoing parliamentary elections with skepticism, questioning whether a new government would change anything in their daily lives.
Held on Tuesday, the elections for the 26th Knesset, Israel's parliament, took place against divisions over the future of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
In Gaza, where widespread destruction, displacement and a deepening humanitarian crisis continue to shape daily life, many Palestinians fear that the election outcome will do little to ease their suffering.
Omar Nabhan, 35, a father of two displaced from Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, now lives in a tent west of Gaza City. After more than three years of war, his family's sole concern is securing basic necessities.
"We are living in dire circumstances. We had to leave our homes and were forced to flee, and we have no idea when we might return to normal life," Nabhan told Xinhua.
"Our only concern now is providing food, shelter and safety for our children, without the constant fear of bombardment or being forced to flee again," he said.
Nabhan said he hoped Israel's elections would bring to power leaders willing to improve conditions in Gaza, allow humanitarian aid to enter and facilitate reconstruction. However, he remained doubtful that political change would translate into tangible improvements on the ground.
"For us, the names matter less than the results that could actually change our reality," he said.
Fawzi al-Hajj Ahmed, 50, a displaced father of five in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, said families are struggling to afford food and other necessities as prices rise and the economy worsens.
"People are exhausted by the war, displacement and the long wait. Some have lost their homes, others their livelihoods, and some have lost family members," he told Xinhua. "We do not want political promises. We want to see real change in our lives."
In the West Bank, settlement expansion, settler violence, military raids and movement restrictions have deepened fears over both security and the prospects of a political settlement.
Sulaiman al-Jabari, 38, from Hebron in the southern West Bank, said an Israeli military operation, which began in the city on Friday after two Israeli soldiers were killed, had further disrupted daily life, affecting families, workers and business owners.
"People simply want to live in safety, go to work and attend school without fear or restrictions," al-Jabari told Xinhua.
He doubted that the results of Israel's elections alone would bring any meaningful improvement in Palestinians' living conditions.
"We want military operations and incursions to stop and restrictions that disrupt our lives to be lifted," he said.
Ahed Ferwana, a political analyst specializing in Israeli affairs, told Xinhua the elections would affect Palestinians in both the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza.
Ferwana said Netanyahu's continued leadership would likely prolong the conflict in Gaza and operations in the West Bank, citing displacement from refugee camps in the north and military operations in Hebron.
If the opposition led by Gadi Eizenkot won, a new government might align more closely with U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan and work to repair Israel's international image, Ferwana said.
However, he did not expect a substantive shift in favor of the Palestinians, predicting that such a government would continue to oppose Palestinian statehood.
Get a daily dose of Milwaukee Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Milwaukee Sun.
More InformationBELGRADE, Serbia: Serbia entered a new political era on October 26 after a student-backed movement defeated longtime leader Aleksandar...
SAO PAULO, Brazil: Brazilian right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has followed his imprisoned father's lead by refusing to concede...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Johnson & Johnson's experimental prostate cancer drug produced substantial declines in a key cancer marker...
BERLIN, Germany: German police said they had detained a suspect after a fire broke out at a historic mountain guest house known as...
YILAN/TAIPEI: Typhoon Champi left one person dead and more than 500 injured as it swept past Taiwan on October 24, bringing powerful...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: Iran has prepared plans to attack undersea communications cables in the Middle East if the United States and Israel...
(Photo credit: Isaiah J. Downing) Packers center Sean Rhyan likely will be sidelined at least a month with a high-ankle sprain, CBS...
(Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez) Standing atop the Big Ten Conference, No. 7 UCLA takes a break from league competition on Saturday...
(Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel) ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Milwaukee Brewers will bid to make history Tuesday in more ways than...
(Photo credit: David Richard) Donovan Mitchell hit a tiebreaking midrange jumper with 48 seconds left in overtime as the host Cleveland...
(Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel) ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Jackson Chourio highlighted his four-hit performance with an RBI double...
(Photo credit: Michael McLoone) Tyler Herro compiled 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Milwaukee Bucks notched the...
