Israelis vote in delayed local elections

JERUSALEM

Polling stations opened across Israel on Tuesday for delayed local elections, with low turnout expected due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip, public broadcaster KAN reported.

The elections, being held in 242 local councils, were originally scheduled for Oct. 31, 2023, three weeks after the Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by Palestinian group Hamas.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and will close at 10 p.m. More than 7 million Israelis are eligible to vote and elect their local representatives.

Elections for towns and communities evacuated due to the ongoing war will be held in November.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said on X that Tuesday's vote shows "there is no problem" holding elections even during the war.

The elections were delayed after the Hamas attack, which is said to have killed 1,200 people. Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 29,782 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to authorities in the besieged enclave.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar