Hamas has gained an overwhelming victory in Thursday's Gaza Strip local elections, Palestinian election officials said Friday.
All in all, Hamas won 77 out of the 118 seats in 10 districts, an election officials said. The ruling Fatah party won 26 seats, independents took 14 and the radical Popular Front won one seat, the officials said.
Meanwhile, Palestinian police forces deployed in the central and southern Gaza Strip on Friday.
The deployment was meant to prevent attacks on Israeli settlements. Over the weekend, top Israeli and Palestinian are to set the terms for an Israeli troop pullback from West Bank towns, and an Israeli-Palestinian summit is expected soon.
