DEIR EL-BALAH, Gaza Strip – Three years ago, Ahmad Mohsen, a 24-year-old nursing graduate, envisioned a career in hospital medicine and further academic study. Today, amid the devastation of Israel’s ongoing war, his priorities have shifted to survival. Mohsen is one of many Palestinians looking toward the upcoming November 28 legislative elections with hopes that they will address critical issues such as unemployment, security, housing, and healthcare.
The election marks a significant milestone as the first national vote in nearly two decades and Mohsen’s first opportunity to cast a ballot. However, his concerns reflect a broader sentiment across the Gaza Strip, where unemployment has reached approximately 80 percent following years of blockade and a conflict that has killed more than 74,000 people.
“The first thing I want is to be able to find a stable job with a decent salary so I can support myself and my family, and the second thing is to have security,” Mohsen said. He also highlighted the difficulty of accessing his family’s land east of Salah al-Din Street, which remains under Israeli access restrictions despite the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. He hopes reconstruction will soon begin in the devastated area.
Mohsen stressed that voting alone is insufficient without tangible improvements in daily life. “A candidate should put themselves in the people’s place and speak with the people’s voice… There needs to be an end to this,” he said, referring to two decades of conflict and destruction.
For older generations, the upcoming vote evokes memories of the 2006 elections, which were won by Hamas. Ghassan Marwan, 53, recalls casting his vote in Nuseirat for independent politician Mustafa Barghouti, describing the process as transparent and fair. At the time, he owned a goldsmith factory that supported his family.
Today, Marwan’s life has been upended. He lost his home and business in January 2024 during the war. Now, he faces the indignity of carrying water from distant sources, a task he never imagined undertaking in his fifties. “After losing your home and your source of income, what else do you want? All you hope for is reconstruction, calm and security,” Marwan said.
Marwan noted that interest in politics has waned not due to apathy, but because of accumulated frustration and despair. Many residents are preoccupied with securing their daily bread rather than engaging in political discourse. While he harbors some hope, he admitted that the lack of clear conditions for holding elections makes the prospect feel almost ironic to some.
The Palestinian Central Elections Commission estimates that roughly 1.24 million Palestinians in Gaza will be eligible to vote. Jamil al-Khalidi, the commission’s regional director in Gaza, acknowledged significant logistical and security challenges due to widespread destruction and mass displacement. Contingency plans are in place to produce election materials locally if Israeli restrictions prevent the entry of supplies.
Iyad al-Qarra, a political analyst based in Gaza, argued that the war has transformed, rather than eliminated, political engagement. He contends that voters now demand leadership capable of restoring normalcy, rebuilding infrastructure, and reviving health and education sectors. “There is a widespread desire for leadership that puts Gaza’s recovery at the top of its priorities, given the heavy price the Strip has paid,” al-Qarra said.
Interesting that interest hasn’t died but shifted. People still want representation, just for practical recovery.
I hope these candidates listen. We don’t need speeches; we need jobs, safety, and homes.
How are they even holding elections with infrastructure destroyed and people displaced? Seems logistically impossible.
Eighty percent unemployment is staggering. It’s heartbreaking that survival, not ideology, drives every vote now.