As Palestinians awaited Hamas' official reaction to the proposed Palestinian legislative elections, the movement unexpectedly announced Nov. 26 that its response would be postponed in condemnation of the Palestinian Authority's treatment of former prisoners who staged a sit-in after their income was withheld for 11 months. The movement protested that the PA’s behavior violated the principle of freedom of opinion.

Most Palestinian factions have already responded to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' call for legislative elections.

Hanna Nasser, head of the Central Election Commission, arrived in the Gaza Strip on Nov. 25. The following day, he met with the head of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, in his office. Following the meeting, Haniyeh held off on responding to the call. A few hours later, Haniyeh declared that Hamas would participate in the legislative elections and sent Abbas a written letter explaining Hamas' position.

In the early morning of Nov. 26, Palestinian security services dispersed a sit-in by former Palestinian prisoners who demanded that the PA hand over their missing money. In January 2019, the PA decided to withhold the payments to 2,000 former prisoners belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad for no apparent reason.