Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza

Gaza, May 8: The 10th Palestine International Marathon was held on Friday in the occupied Bethlehem, with a parallel race also organised in Gaza Strip after a two-year gap caused by the war in Gaza.

The 42-km marathon began early in the morning from the historic Church of the Nativity, drawing thousands of Palestinian and international participants.

Marathon coordinator Itidal Abdul Ghani said this year’s event carried the message of “unity of the homeland”, with simultaneous races taking place in both the West Bank and Gaza.

A separate 5-km run was organised in central Gaza from the Wadi Gaza Bridge northwards.

Organisers also conducted a virtual marathon between April 17 and 21 across several countries, attracting more than 5,000 participants from 88 nations.

According to organisers, overall participation crossed 13,000 runners, including 2,523 participants from Gaza and around 1,000 international runners representing 75 countries.

The event included several categories such as the full marathon, half marathon, 10-km race and a 5-km family run, allowing participation by professional athletes, amateur runners and families.

The marathon was organised by the Palestinian Higher Council for Youth and Sports, the Palestinian Olympic Committee and Bethlehem Municipality.

The event took place amid continuing violence in Gaza and the occupied West Bank following the conflict that escalated in October 2023.

Many participants carried Palestinian flags and wore traditional keffiyehs while running through Bethlehem’s streets, routes lined with checkpoints and the Israeli separation wall.

Organisers and participants described the marathon as both a sporting event and a symbol of peaceful resistance and solidarity with Gaza.