Gaza watches Israel’s elections with fear and antipathy

Gaza City – For three years, Palestinians in Gaza have lived with the destruction of their cities and displacement from their homes. Israel’s genocidal war, which started in October 2023, has taken more than 70,000 lives and determined the fates of those who remain.

On October 27, Israelis will vote in a national election that will determine the next government and shape the country’s policies on Gaza.

Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have no direct say in the vote, but many are closely following party campaigns, because the results might impact their lives.

Thirty-year-old Maryam al-Dabala, who has been displaced about 14 times during the war, said her main concern is whether a new Israeli government will continue the same policies towards Gaza as current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration.

“If Netanyahu’s far-right government succeeds, it will continue the policy of forced displacement of the people of Gaza,” she told Al Jazeera.

“The biggest fear is that the Netanyahu government will carry out a policy of forcibly displacing Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip.”

Many Palestinians do not believe a victory for frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, will improve the lives of Palestinians. Eisenkot was part of Netanyahu’s government during the first eight months of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. He supports settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law, and opposes the two-state solution.

But given what she has endured, al-Dabala views another Netanyahu government, likely backed by far-right ministers, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir, as the worst possible outcome.