Palestine is a unitary state, but is divided into sixteen governorates for administrative purposes. After the signing of the Oslo Accords, the West Bank and Gaza Strip were placed under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, which divided the territories into governorates. The governorates are subdivided in turn into municipalities.
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The Gaza Governorate (Arabic: محافظة غزة, romanized: Muḥāfaẓat Ġazza), also alternatively known as Gaza City Governorate, is one of the 16 Governorates of Palestine, located in the north central Gaza Strip. Gaza is claimed by the State of Palestine, but the land is under the partial control of Hamas, while around a third of the governorate, its border with Israel, airspace, and maritime territory, are all controlled by the IDF. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the district's population was 505,700 in 2006. All of its seats were won by Hamas members in the 2006 parliamentary elections. It is governed by Mohammed Qadoura.
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The Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate (Arabic: محافظة رام الله والبيرة, romanized: Muḥāfaẓat Rām Allāh wa l Bīra) is one of 16 governorates of Palestine. It covers a large part of the central West Bank, on the northern border of the Jerusalem Governorate. Its district capital or muhfaza (seat) is the city of al-Bireh.
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The Rafah Governorate (Arabic: محافظة رفح, romanized: Muḥāfaẓat Rafaḥ) is a Governorate of Palestine in the southernmost portion of the Gaza Strip. Its district capital or muhfaza is the city of Rafah located on the border with Egypt. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the governorate had a population of 267,635 in mid-year 2022. It contains the closed down Yasser Arafat International Airport.
The Bethlehem Governorate (Arabic: محافظة بيت لحم, romanized: Muḥāfaẓat Bayt Laḥm) is one of 16 governorates of Palestine. It covers an area of the West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Its principal city and district capital is Bethlehem. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, its population was estimated to 199,463 in 2012.
The population of the Gaza Strip is undergoing a famine as a result of an Israeli blockade during the Gaza war that prevents basic essentials and humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, as well as airstrikes that have destroyed food infrastructure, such as bakeries, mills, and food stores, causing a widespread scarcity of essential supplies. Humanitarian aid has also been blocked by protests at borders and ports. Increasing societal breakdown in Gaza, including looting, has also been cited as a barrier to the provision of aid.
As of August 2025, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projections show 100% of the population are experiencing "high levels of acute food insecurity", and 32% are projected to face Phase 5 catastrophic levels by 30 September 2025. On 22 August 2025, the IPC said that famine is taking place in one of the five governorates in the Gaza Strip: specifically, the Gaza Governorate which includes Gaza City. The IPC added that, within the next month, famine was likely to also occur in both the Deir al-Balah Governorate and Khan Yunis Governorate. The IPC had insufficient data on the North Gaza Governorate for a classification but concluded that conditions were likely similar or worse than in the Gaza Governorate. Within the next 6 weeks as of 16 August, the number of people in IPC Phase 5 is expected to rise from 500,000 to over 640,000.
The Quds Governorate (Arabic: محافظة القدس, romanized: Muḥāfaẓat al-Quds), also known as Jerusalem Governorate, is one of the 16 governorates of Palestine and located in the central part of the West Bank. The current governor, appointed by the Palestinian National Authority, is Adnan Ghaith since 2018, who succeeded Adnan al-Husayni, appointed in 2008. The Governorate has two sub-districts: Jerusalem J1, which includes the localities within the territory controlled by the Israeli Jerusalem municipality (East Jerusalem), and Jerusalem J2, which includes the remaining parts of the Jerusalem Governorate. The district capital of the Governorate is East Jerusalem (al-Quds).
The total land area of the governorate is 344 km. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the governorate had a population of 429,500 residents in 2005, accounting for 10.5% of Palestinians living in the Palestinian territories in 2022 population had risen to 482,854 as official Statistics.
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The Jericho Governorate (Arabic: محافظة أريحا, romanized: Muḥāfaẓat Arīḥā) is one of 16 Governorates of Palestine. Its capital is Jericho. The governorate is located along the eastern areas of the West Bank, along the northern Dead Sea and southern Jordan River valley bordering Jordan. It spans west to the mountains east of Ramallah and the eastern slopes of Jerusalem, including the northern reaches of the Judaean Desert. The population of the Jericho Governorate is estimated to be 50,002, including 13,334 Palestinian refugees in the governorate's camps.
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The Khan Yunis Governorate (Arabic: محافظة خان يونس, romanized: Muḥāfaẓat Ḫān Yūnis) is one of 16 Governorates of Palestine, located in the southern Gaza Strip. Its district capital is Khan Yunis. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the governorate had a population of 426,056 in mid-2022. Its land area is 69.61% urban, 12.8% rural, and 17.57% comprising the Khan Yunis refugee camp.
The North Gaza Governorate (Arabic: محافظة شمال غزة) is a governorate of Palestine in the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the governorate had a population of 270,245 (7.2% of the Palestinian population) with 40,262 households in mid-year 2007 encompassing three municipalities, two rural districts and one refugee camp.
North Gaza has seen numerous strikes during the Gaza war, including attacks on the Shadia Abu Ghazala School and Beit Lahia.