Kuala Lampur, April 26 -- Palestinians in the West Bank and central Gaza voted for municipal councils on Saturday, the first elections since the Gaza war began.

With a narrow slate of contenders, turnout was initially low in the occupied West Bank where 1.5 million people were registered to vote.

But it was boosted by a last-minute surge, reaching 53.44 percent, the Ramallah-based Central Elections Commission (CEC) said, just fractionally lower than in the previous ballot in March 2022.

In Gaza's Deir el-Balah, however, participation was low with only 22.7 per cent of the 70,000 registered voters casting ballots, it said.

"We are very pleased to exercise democracy in spite of the many challenges we face," president Mahmud Abbas told j...