Palestine in April 2026: the most important developments in politics
Palestine in April 2026 was dominated by local elections. On April 25, Palestinians in the West Bank and parts of the Gaza Strip voted in municipal elections, the first since the war in Gaza and the first in Gaza in about two decades. Official results gave a sweeping victory to Fatah, the party of Mahmoud Abbas, including some seats in Gaza, though Fatah did not win every seat. Turnout in Gaza was reported at 23%.
The Gaza ceasefire and the disarmament of Hamas were the main diplomatic issues. The Board of Peace, set up by Donald Trump, gave Hamas a deadline to accept a disarmament proposal. Hamas's armed wing called disarmament unacceptable, and Hamas demanded changes to the ceasefire plan. Direct talks between the US and Hamas in Cairo ended on April 17 without progress on the next phase. Hamas was set to negotiate disarmament with the Board of Peace on April 27, and on April 28 the UN told the Security Council the ceasefire was increasingly fragile. The Board of Peace faced a funding shortfall and held talks with DP World on reconstruction, and on April 20 the EU hosted a Gaza peace conference. Egypt continued to send aid convoys.
Israel's relations with European governments were strained. On April 10 Prime Minister Netanyahu removed Spain from the US-backed ceasefire monitoring centre for Gaza, citing what he called anti-Israel bias, and Spain's prime minister urged the EU to end its partnership with Israel. Germany and Italy criticised Israel over its stopping of a Gaza aid flotilla, and an Istanbul prosecutor sought life sentences for Netanyahu and 34 others over the 2010 flotilla raid.
On the West Bank, new settlements were approved on private Palestinian land, and ministers reopened the Sa-Nur settlement. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel would rebuild settlements in Gaza. More than 60 former UK ambassadors called for sanctions on Israel over its West Bank policy. Arab and Muslim-majority countries condemned Israel's death penalty law for Palestinian convicts.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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