Algeria elections: Palestine high on the agenda in candidates’ campaigns and speeches

Palestine has been a top issue during candidates’ campaigns and speeches ahead of Algeria’s upcoming presidential elections in September.

Some of the key topics discussed in speeches were Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, the rights of Palestinians and delivery of much needed aid, according to The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Algeria’s President Abdelmajid Tebboune has also been shedding light on the situation in Gaza, as the death toll surpasses 40,000 people since October.

"I swear if they help us open the borders between Egypt and Gaza, the army is ready to transport aid," he said.

"If the trucks are allowed to cross, I will build three hospitals within 20 days, and we will send hundreds of doctors, and help rebuild what was destroyed in the Gaza Strip by Zionists," he added.

Last month, an Algerian medical team made up of 11 doctors entered Gaza to provide emergency assistance, however, the enclave's medical facilities and infrastructure have been completely decimated by Israel’s bombardment campaign.

Tebboune, who is running in the upcoming elections, has previously expressed his country’s full support for Palestinians, calling it a "sacred cause".

Other candidates have also been outspoken about Palestine, including Abdelali Hassani Cherif, a candidate for the Movement of Society for Peace and Youcef Aouchiche, the candidate for the Algerian Socialist Forces Front, Al-Araby reported.

Election campaigns have been filled with Palestinian flags waved alongside Algerian ones, with some political candidates and participants also donning keffiyehs, which have come to symbolise Palestinian solidarity and resilience.

"The Algerian elections are at the heart of international and regional transformations, amid a difficult situation in Gaza, and we in Algeria have decided to be with the resistance in Gaza and with Palestine…" Cherif said during a rally in eastern Algeria.

Aouchiche also used his television appearances and interviews for his electoral campaign to shed light on the bombardment of Gaza and condemn what he described as "crimes committed by occupation forces", Al Araby Al Jadeed reported.

Israel’s war on Gaza have plunged the enclave into a deep humanitarian crisis with over 1.9 million people forcibly displaced.

According to Oxfam, Gaza hunger figures are one of the "worst on record" with half of the population experiencing catastrophic food insecurity.