Do Palestinians in Gaza expect anything to change after Israel’s election?

Israelis are voting for their next government in an election shaped by the war on Gaza. Palestinians there are watching because the winning coalition could influence military action, restrictions, displacement, and access to basic goods. They do not expect the vote to transform their lives, but they fear another hardline government could make conditions worse.

Mohammed Eliyan hopes Gadi Eisenkot will defeat Netanyahu. He sees Netanyahu and his far-right allies as more likely to continue war and displacement. Eliyan wants Israel’s next leader to end the war, prevent starvation, and ease restrictions at Gaza’s crossings. Islam Salem similarly believes politics is tied to his family’s livelihood and future.

Yet both men doubt a new government would bring a major policy change. Gaza remains under daily pressure despite the reported ceasefire. The election may change leadership, but Gazans expect Israel’s broader strategy to continue. Its result therefore matters mainly because it could alter the intensity of war and restrictions, not because it guarantees peace or reconstruction.

Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s prime minister and the leader most closely associated with the current government’s Gaza policy. The article says he has been strongly criticised for handling security before the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks. His Likud party and far-right allies are seeking another term.

Gadi Eisenkot is Netanyahu’s main rival and a former Israeli military commander. Mohammed Eliyan hopes Eisenkot will win because he views Netanyahu as more hardline. However, Eliyan still expects Israel to remain an enemy and does not anticipate a dramatic improvement under a different leader.

The article does not name the far-right parties individually. It describes them as members of Netanyahu’s government who have called for a tougher line on Gaza, including expelling its population. Their influence matters because a coalition victory could preserve or intensify the policies Gazans fear. The election therefore concerns both the prime minister and the wider political alliance supporting him.

A ceasefire generally means an agreement or declared pause in fighting. Here, the territory has been under a “ceasefire” since October 2025, but the article says Israeli air strikes continue almost daily. The quotation marks signal that the pause has not produced safety or normal life for Gaza’s residents.

A siege means sustained pressure that restricts access to goods, movement, or services. The article calls Gaza’s siege punishing and says it has caused shortages of basic goods. Crossings are the points through which people and supplies can enter or leave. When restrictions are eased, more goods and people may pass; when tightened, scarcity and isolation deepen.

These terms matter because they show the difference between formal language and lived reality. Gaza’s residents remain displaced, unsafe, and short of necessities despite the reported ceasefire. Eliyan asks Israel’s next leader to end the war and ease crossing restrictions. The election could therefore affect whether these controls remain, loosen, or become harsher.

The article portrays the war’s effects as vast and continuing. More than 80 percent of buildings in Gaza have been damaged. About two-thirds of those damaged buildings have been completely destroyed. The destruction makes rebuilding difficult and leaves families living in displacement, uncertainty, and harsh daily conditions.

The territorial impact is also significant. Islam Salem says Israel continues to control about 65 percent of Gaza’s territory inside the “Yellow Line.” The article does not explain the line’s origins, but it presents the control as a central reason residents doubt that reconstruction or normal life can begin soon.

The human effects are shown through individual experiences. Mohammed Eliyan was displaced from Jabalia and now lives in Deir el-Balah with five children. Hanan Abu al-Maaza says she has been displaced more than 12 times. These figures suggest that the war affects homes, land, and family stability together. Unless restrictions and fighting ease, rebuilding and permanent return will remain difficult.

Ongoing air strikes, shortages, and restrictions turn ordinary life into constant survival. Residents cannot rely on safety, steady supplies, or secure housing. The article describes dire living conditions and says the siege has caused shortages of basic goods. Families also live with uncertainty about what may happen next.

Hanan Abu al-Maaza says she goes to sleep without feeling safe and remains afraid of further attacks. Islam Salem says people in Gaza live day by day because everything they feared has already happened. Mohammed Eliyan, displaced with five children, wants an end to the war, starvation, and restrictions at crossings. Their accounts connect military pressure with hunger, displacement, and psychological distress.

These pressures also damage people’s ability to plan. Salem doubts reconstruction will begin soon, while Abu al-Maaza fears the next government could bring even more suffering. Even if the election changes Israel’s leadership, residents expect daily hardship to continue unless air strikes stop, supplies improve, and crossings become less restricted.

The October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks changed the political context of Israel’s election. The article says Netanyahu was strongly criticised for his handling of security before the attacks. As prime minister, he is therefore judged both on what happened beforehand and on how his government responded afterward.

Israel’s subsequent war on Gaza has become the election’s defining issue. The article describes three years of war, repeated displacement, damaged buildings, shortages, air strikes, and a siege. Netanyahu’s far-right government members have called for a tougher approach, including expelling Gaza’s population. His rivals present the election as a possible change in leadership, though Gazans remain doubtful.

For Palestinians in Gaza, the campaign is not an abstract political contest. Its policies affect whether war continues, whether displacement worsens, and whether crossings open. Residents hope for an end to fighting and starvation, but Salem believes Israeli policy will remain the same. The attacks and war have therefore shaped both Israel’s political debate and Gaza’s fears about what comes next.

An Israeli election selects Israel’s government, not Gaza’s representatives. Yet the government elected in Israel can make decisions that directly affect Gaza, including military policy, territorial control, crossing restrictions, and access to goods. The article presents these decisions as central to whether Palestinians experience more war or some relief.

The mechanism is visible in residents’ demands. Mohammed Eliyan asks Israel’s next leader to end the war, prevent displacement and starvation, and ease restrictions at Gaza’s crossings. Islam Salem points to Israel’s continued control of about 65 percent of Gaza’s territory inside the “Yellow Line.” These are policies exercised by Israel, so the election matters in Gaza despite Palestinians there not voting in it.

This creates a sharp political imbalance. Israelis choose among leaders and parties, while Gazans live with the consequences of those choices. The people interviewed do not expect a major change, even under new leadership. They hope only that a different government might be less harsh and provide some breathing space.