Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip — After three years of genocidal war, Palestinians in Gaza are watching the upcoming elections in Israel with a mixture of fear and uncertainty. Although the territory has been under a “ceasefire” since October 2025, Palestinians in Gaza continue to endure almost daily Israeli air strikes, dire living conditions, and a punishing siege that has caused shortages of basic goods. Israelis will head to the polls on Tuesday to vote for their next government, in an election that has been shaped by the war on Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been strongly criticised for his handling of security before the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel. Members of his far-right government have called for a tougher line on Gaza, including the expulsion of its population. The people of Gaza know this election will shape their future and many have been closely watching the campaign.
Mohammed Eliyan, 36, was displaced from Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza and now lives in Deir el-Balah with his five children. He hopes a change in leadership in Israel could bring relief to Palestinians who have endured repeated displacement and war. We hope there might be some easing for the Palestinian cause and for us, who have been displaced again,” he told Al Jazeera.
Eliyan hopes that Gadi Eisenkot, the former Israeli military commander and Netanyahu’s main rival, will defeat the prime minister. He sees Netanyahu as more hardline and fears that if his Likud party and far-right allies win another term, it would mean more war and further displacement for Gaza’s people. What Netanyahu has done to the Palestinian people, before and after October 7, has not been a small thing,” he said.
But regardless of who wins, Eliyan does not expect a major shift in Israeli policy. End the war and let us live in peace,” he said. Islam Salem, 41, is displaced from Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza and has three daughters.
He is following Israel’s election closely and believes the result could affect Gaza’s future and the lives of his children, likely for the worse. It is connected to everything in our lives, our living conditions and even the future of our children,” he said. But he also believes that elections primarily serve Israeli interests, so even if there are new faces in the next government, the Gaza strategy will likely remain the same.
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